Eternal Allegiance
by AmICrazy
Summary: Takes place during the Tenroujima incident, when Acnologia attacked. What if Natsu sacrificed himself to save his comrades on the island. Rated T to be safe. *DISCONTINUED*
1. His Sacrifice

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

Acnologia flew up into the sky and prepared to unleash a destructive attack. The mages of Fairy Tail stood in a small circle with their arms intertwined. However, they did not notice that Natsu Dragneel, one of the participants of the S-Class Exam which took place in the island they were on, building up a large amount of magic. After a minute of preparation, Acnologia unleashed a devastating roar and a beam of powerful magic escaped it's mouth headed towards the mages' direction.

"_**Secret Dragon Slayer Art: Fire Dragon's Vanguard!"**_

Everybody's eyes snapped open and saw a dome of fire engulf them, with Natsu at the epicenter. Acnologia's attack hit and Natsu struggled to keep the dome intact. Moments later the dome dissipated and surprisingly the island was intact.

"Looks like Igneel was right," Natsu spoke in a soft tone, as everyone focused on him "this spell can negate almost all magical attacks.." _*crack*_

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

"**Natsu, I have two new spells to teach you." **Igneel said to a dazed young pink-haired boy. Upon hearing these words, the boy jumped up and began to listen intently.

"**One of these spells can and will negate and absorb all magic based attacks against you,"** Igneel began, his words exciting the boy "**However the negating effect depends on how strong the attack is and how strong your body is. If the attack is powerful, then your body must be equally or more powerful in order for it to be negated. If this is not the case, the spell will dissipate and you will be obliterated."**

_FLASHBACK END_

* * *

Everyone's eyes widened when his skin started to crack and turn into a light shade of green.

"Too bad my body is barely strong enough." He said with a short laugh.

"N-n-n-Natsu….What's happening to you?" Master Makarov asked, his small and bandaged body was visibly shaking due to both fear and worry.

"I negated Acnologia's attack," Natsu explained with a small smile "However, it's attack was really powerful and the strength of the spell I used depended on the strength of the attack and the strength of my own body. It looks like my body's strength was barely enough."

_*crack*_

Natsu's body was now covered in an intricate spiderweb pattern of cracks. At this moment, Acnologia was preparing for another attack and Natsu, noticing this, began to slowly move towards it. That is until he was stopped by a certain red headed mage.

"Not another step.." She stared at him with an ice cold glare. Surprisingly, Natsu just kept going and before he got into a battle stance, he felt cold metal against his neck.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" Natsu simply smiled, and answered.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm saving my comrades." He looked at her with emotion filled, yet serene eyes before pushing the sword away. With those words, he leapt towards Acnologia and started to cast another spell.

"_**Fire Dragon's Sword Horn"**_ Natsu's body was engulfed in flames and he propelled himself towards Acnologia. His comrades stared in shock as he inched closer to his target. Finally, his body impacted Acnologia, but he didn't stop there. The power behind Natsu's attack caused him to propel Acnologia away from the island and him along with it, even though it seemed that Natsu was out of magical energy from the use of the _**Fire Dragon's Vanguard**_ earlier. When he was far enough, Natsu Dragneel gathered the remnants of his magic power and forced it out of his body thus creating a big fireball, which burnt the underbelly of the large black dragon. When the fireball was big enough, he released his magic and caused the bubble to explode.

"_**Secret Dragon Slayer Art: Fire Dragon's Last Breath!"**_

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

"**The other spell I'm going to teach you requires you to be in _Dragon Force _so that your body can handle it or else the massive power produced by the spell will kill you."** Igneel calmly explained

_FLASHBACK END_

* * *

***BOOOOM***

A powerful shockwave tore through the sea and caused tidal waves to form. Fortunately, said tidal waves couldn't reach the island due to a protective barrier enveloping the island. The effects of the explosion were gruesome; Acnologia was missing its front left leg and one of its wings was torn. The severe injuries forced the mighty Dragon King to retreat. However, Natsu's body was nowhere to be seen. Back at the island, all members were mourning over their comrade's death. Mira and Lisanna were crying in the arms of Elfman, who was trying to comfort them. Lucy was shaking uncontrollably as she was trying not to cry, but she was failing miserably. Gray, Gajeel and Laxus were on their knees.

"**DAMMIT!** Flame-brain, what were you thinking! Who am I supposed to fight now, **HUH**?!" Gray roared at the sky.

"Salamander….Out of all the stupid things that you have done….. **THIS TRUMPS EVERYTHING!**" Gajeel yelled as he slammed his fists on the ground, making a crater. Levy was beside him and she was trying to calm him down, but to no avail as she was preoccupied with the grief that washed over her.

"Why?...Why?!...WHY?!...**WHY?!...WHY?!"** Laxus screamed as he was punching the ground with Lightning-enhanced fists. The Raijinshuu were close by, but were too depressed to even try calm him down.

"N-n-natsu-san…_*sniff*_... y-y-you p-promised….. t-t-that you would….._*sniff*_ help me find….. Grandine…" Wendy sobbed while holding her arms. Inches from her, Carla was comforting a depressed Happy, who took his death the worst. Not far from them were the shaking figures of Makarov and Gildarts - who was holding his weeping daughter, Cana - . Only Erza seemed to have not been affected by his death, for her face remained as stoic as ever.

"_**Requip"**_ Erza was engulfed in a bright light and when the light died down, she was wearing red pants with yellow flames at the bottom and her chest was wrapped in bandages. Afterwards she summoned a sword, held it in front of her, and twisted it so that the tip was pointing at her exposed stomach. A lone tear fell from her left eye as she stabbed herself. However, the blade never made contact with her skin because her entire body except her head was encased in ice.

"Erza! What do you think you're doing?!" Gray angrily asked, and simultaneously voiced everybody's thoughts at the moment.

"I-I don't know…" Erza slumped, her scarlet hair covering her eyes. However, her guild mates saw through her lie and pressed on.

"Erza…. Don't lie to me," Master Makarov sternly looked at her "Let me ask you one more time… What do you think you're doing?" Suddenly, Erza broke down, shocking everyone for Erza was perceived as a strong-willed woman who knew how to keep her emotions in check.

"Do you _*sob*_ want to know what I think I was doing? _*sob*_ I was obviously trying to end my life!"

"But why Erza?" Lucy asked.

"The reason is simple Lucy…. Due to Natsu's death, I have lost my will to live. This... pain I'm experiencing... dwarfs the pain I felt when Jellal abandoned me." With that said, realization struck the Fairy Tail members like a train. Erza had feelings for Natsu; feelings so powerful, she can't live without him.

"I know you find it weird, but it's true." Erza began, breaking everyone's train of thought "I li-, no, LOVED Natsu. When he first came to the guild, I began to develop feelings for him. However, I denied those feelings due to the fear that Natsu would be just like Jellal.

"But he wasn't," she sadly smiled "his carefree attitude, his warm smile, and his dedication to protect those he care about removed all doubts I had in my head. When Natsu began to develop feelings for Lisanna, it felt like my heart was going to break. I thought that Natsu was just as bad as Jellal, but when she 'died', I saw that he deeply cared about her and decided to throw away my feelings for him." She paused and looked into the eyes of her comrades. She saw that all of them were surprised except for Lisanna, who looked guilty. However, when she looked at Lucy, she noticed that Lucy also had a look of guilt.

"**GRAY!** Unfreeze me!" Erza ordered, making Gray snap out of his shock; obviously Gray obeyed her. When the ice dissipated, Erza began to walk towards the group.

"Lucy, tell me do you also have feelings for Natsu?" the knightess asked in an uncharacteristically soft tone. Lucy opened her mouth in an attempt to answer, but couldn't form the words in her mouth. Instead the girl nodded, causing a small smile to form on Erza's lips.

"If that's the case, then I shall discard my feelings once more so that you wouldn't feel guilty about stealing him from me." the moment she said that, Lucy began to tear up while everyone looked at Erza and were inspired at her move of self-sacrifice. Except for a certain iron dragon slayer and blue exceed.

"Gehehehe… Erza, you are totally clueless about us dragon slayers." Gajeel said.

"What do you mean?" the guild asked, curious about what Gajeel has to say.

"To keep it simple, we can only love one person," he began "it's like a curse you see. If said person doesn't return our feelings, dies, or loves someone else, the depression we would go through is unimaginable. Second, the person a dragon slayer likes or loves will have a mark placed upon them. The mark is an indicator that you are theirs and theirs only. Furthermore, there are two stages of the mark. The first stage is when they find the person they love; the mark would just be a scent which indicates their interest in you. The second stage is when the dragon slayer seals the bond; a unique insignia will appear on your body and you will inherit all of the dragon slayer's abilities and by the looks of it, you are marked by Salamander." his last statement rang in everyone's heads, especially Erza.

"This is the best part: judging by the strength of the scent, you have been marked for nearly 7 years." this earned a gasp from all the guild members.

"I don't believe it." Lisanna shakily said.

"Too bad, you're gonna have to." Happy coldly replied. It would be an understatement if the guild was described to be surprised in that moment. Never in their lives would they hear Happy reply in such a cold tone.

"Natsu has been in love with Erza for a long time. He still hasn't made his move on her due to her past with Jellal." Erza cringed at this

"However, I can see why everyone is so surprised at this. Everyone suspected that he would be interested in Lucy or Lisanna, but he isn't, he never was. Natsu only saw the both of you as his very best friends, no more no less. By the way, the main reason why he likes to fight Erza is that it's his way of interacting with her without it ending awkwardly." Happy finished.

"Happy, how long have you known this?" Mira asked.

"Ever since Oracion Seis. Natsu told me everything when we got home." Happy sulked "You should have seen him. He was so depressed about Erza crying because of Jellal's arrest that he didn't eat for 3 days straight." with those words, Erza fell on her knees and began to cry, all the while she was muttering "I'm sorry, Natsu" over and over again.

"What's done is done," Gildarts said. "we can't change the past, but with its lessons we can create a better future. Let's go home" As the Fairy Tail members stood up, albeit slowly, the barrier that protected them from the tidal wave dissipated.

'_Looks like the First Master was protecting us'_ Makarov thought. Moments later, a ship reached the shore and Doranbolt came into view.

"Thank goodness you're safe! Come on aboard, I'll give you a ride home" Doranbolt exclaimed. When they got on the ship, he noticed that many members had red, puffy eyes and gave off a depressing aura. When his eyes landed on Happy, he suddenly remembered something.

"Happy," the blue exceed looked up "I have something for you." Doranbolt walked up to him and produced a familiar scaly white scarf. "I found this floating near the explosion's epicenter." Surprisingly, Happy pushed the scarf away.

"I don't need it, but someone else does." he gestured to a weeping Erza. The rune knight went the grieving red head and gave the scarf to her. She mumbled a quick thanks and wrapped the scarf around her neck.

"Set sail to Hargeon! **WE'RE GOING HOME!"** Lahar yelled to his crewmen.

* * *

**(02.13.2015) A/N: SPECIAL THANKS TO 'thatrandomguy42'** **FOR POINTING OUT A FLAW IN ONE OF NATSU'S SPELLS.**


	2. The Fallen Hero

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIDA.**

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

_1 WEEK AFTER THE INCIDENT_

The Kardia Cathedral, one of Magnolia's tourist attractions and Fiore's most magnificent churches, was filled to the brim. It was Natsu's funeral and many people came to the Cathedral to pay their respects to the fallen pink-haired dragon slayer. At the front rows of the cathedral were the grim members of Fairy Tail. A few rows behind them were Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus and a few of the reformed Eisenwald members. There were also many non-guild members present, for example Jude Heartphilia, Lucy's father. The crowd turned it's attention to the small figure of Master Makarov at the pedestal. At the very front of the cathedral was a closed coffin with a photo of Natsu smiling overhead.

"My friends, today we are here to mourn the death of an influential figure. Natsu Dragneel was the light in our darkness, for he brought joy to us when there was none. His premature death struck us all painfully, but worry not he will never be forgotten." after his little speech, he leapt of the pedestal and motioned some Fairy Tail members to say a few words. The members were Gray, Lucy, Lisanna, Gajeel, Wendy, Mira, and unsurprisingly Erza. Each and everyone of them recalled moments of Natsu's antics and feats in battle.

When everybody was done, the coffin was carried by Elfman, Laxus, Gildarts and Gray. They carried it to the cemetery behind the cathedral, where a statue of Natsu was waiting. Placing it on a harness, they were about to lower the coffin before a voice rang out.

"**WAIT**!" Happy walked up to the coffin and placed a fish on the coffin, surprising many and confusing even more. "Natsu, I hope that you find peace wherever you are… I'll miss you and I'll ever forget all those memories we made together. By the way, I know that right now you're hungry, you can have my fish. Only this once though." the exceeds words seemed to lighten up the mood for the mourning guilds. Happy's action caused many others to do the same. Many mages left gifts for Natsu for him to take to the afterlife, there were some amazing ones, such as Hibiki's magic album which he created with his **Archive Magic**.

"Before anyone says good-bye, we have a few words to say." Org, a member of the magic council, said. "The magic council has agreed to give Natsu Dragneel the title of Wizard Saint for his various actions against evil." Many Fairy Tail members scowled at this.

'_You're all pretty late on the uptake, even if you're the council."_ All Fairy Tail mages thought. As the council finished, Natsu's coffin was lowered into the ground and was covered. As a way of saying good-bye, one Fairy Tail member raised their hands into the sky to form the Fairy Tail salute, that member was none other than Erza Scarlet. Seeing this, every Fairy Tail mage followed suit, along with all the people present at the funeral.

***ROOOOOOAAAAAAR***

Suddenly, a loud roar shook Magnolia, surprising many people and putting all present mages on guard; except for Gajeel and Wendy. Three large dragons descended from the sky and landed near the cathedral. The dragon in the centre had scarlet scales that rivaled Erza's hair and a yellowish underbelly. The dragon on the right was covered in metallic plating and had an almost squarish head. The dragon on the left was pure white with wings that looked liked a bird's and had an elegant figure. The two dragon slayers stared at the dragons in shock, before pouncing on the ones that flanked the red one.

"**METALICANA!"**

"**GRANDEENEY!"**

If dragons could smile, Metalicana and Grandeeney would be grinning exactly like Natsu. The reunion was interrupted by the red dragon.

"**I hate to interrupt the happy reunion, but may I remind you why we are here."** both dragons shook of their respective foster children and walked towards him.

"**Sorry...**:" Metalicana and Grandeeney simultaneously said. The red dragon walked up to the magic council and dropped a body from his tail.

"What is this? Who are you?" One of the council members frightfully and rudely asked.

"**When speaking to Igneel, the King of Dragons and King of Fire Dragons, I'd advise you to speak in a more respectful tone if you want to live."** Metalicana snapped. The crowd present gulped.

"Igneel?" a soft voice asked, said dragon turned to face the owner of the voice and saw a young lady with flowing red hair clutching a familiar looking scarf "Natsu's foster father?"

"**Yes young lady, I am Natsu's foster father. If I may ask why do you have my son's scarf?"** Igneel asked. Erza began to tear up.

"I suppose that you know that he is dead." the dragon sadly nodded "This is what was left of your son."

"**I see, young lady what is your name?"**

"Erza Scarlet."

"**Well, Erza Scarlet, I shall entrust my gift to my son to you. You may ask why, and it's simply because he has marked you. The mark is only at the first stage, but it's a mark nonetheless. I am also very certain that my son would have wanted you to keep it."**

"Thank you." Igneel then turned to the magic council.

"**Forgive me for not answering your questions. First, I'll answer your second question; I am Igneel, the King of Fire Dragons and the King of Dragons. To answer your first question, that corpse belongs to Acnologia, the former King of Dragons."** this earned a gasp from everyone, especially Fairy Tail.

"How did you kill him and why is he human?" Yajima asked.

"**I was able to kill him because of my son's sacrifice caused Acnologia to be severely injured. It wasn't easy, but with the help of other dragons, we were able to do it. Furthermore, Acnologia was always human; if you never knew, Acnologia was a dragon slayer that gave in to the corruption of power, thus turning into a dragon." **Igneel calmly answered Yajima's question.

"**Before we leave,"** everyone's eyes rested on the great creature "**I, Igneel King of Dragons, will bestow upon Natsu Dragneel the title of 'Dragonkin'."** And then, the dragons left, much to Gajeel and Wendy's chagrin.

"Gajeel," Gajeel turned to see Master Makarov looking at him with curious eyes "What is the title 'Dragonkin' about?"

"Old man, 'Dragonkin' is an honourable title that the dragons give to humans they perceive as equals. There are only 3 times when a human was given the title of 'Dragonkin', including Natsu." Everybody's hearts skipped a beat due to the news they were given.

'Now that this is over, let's go home everyone." Levy piped. The crowd departed and went off to their respective homes/hotels. All but one person.

"Looks like I have to update the statue's inscription." Master Makarov told to no one in particular. He walked to the statue, placed his hand over a golden plaque and channeled his magic into it. When he was done the inscription read:

NATSU DRAGNEEL

X?-X784

CARING AND JOYFUL FRIEND

FIRE DRAGON SLAYER

MEMBER OF THE 10 WIZARD SAINTS

DRAGONKIN

"Hmph," Makarov smiled "Good-bye brat, see you on the other side."

* * *

_**SORRY FOR THE SHORT CHAPTER GUYS. PROMISE I'LL TRY TO MAKE LONGER ONES...KEYWORD: TRY**_


	3. A Newcomer

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

_TIME SKIP 7 YEARS_

Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's Third Master, was sitting on the bar sipping his morning ale. For the past seven years, the guild has increased in size dramatically. Though the guild was closed for three years because many members wanted to train. The drive for their training was simple: to get stronger so that the events that occurred seven years ago on Tenroujima won't repeat. The fruits of their training were noticeable, every single one of the mages that trained had a large increase of magical power and endurance. There were also many surprises, the biggest one being that Gajeel has marked Levy and was on the second stage of the mark; meaning that Levy has access to Iron Dragon Slayer Magic. However, Levy is still not used to the magic, so she uses it sparingly. Thankfully, Gajeel was training her on controlling it and using it.

* * *

'_Finally, I'm here.'_ a hooded figure thought as he entered the outskirts of Magnolia. '_Now, where is Fairy Tail's guild building?'_

* * *

***SLAM***

The guild's massive doors opened to reveal 4 people and 2 exceeds. This was the new 'Team Natsu' - the group decided to keep the name in honour of their fallen comrade-. It was consisted of Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia, Wendy Marvell, Happy and Carla.

Over the course of 7 years, Team Natsu's members changed quite a bit. Erza was nicer to people and smiled more often (When she isn't around, others tend to call her Mirajane 2.0), Gray strips less often and is now an S-class mage, Lucy has gotten stronger, Wendy grew (in more ways than one), Happy acquired some magic and is now wearing clothes, and Carla….is still the same.

"We're back from our mission, Master." Erza said as she walked up to the bar, the rest of the team following close by.

"How was it, my dear?" Makarov set down his empty mug.

"It was carried out flawlessly." the scarlet haired mage replied with a small smile.

"By flawlessly, you meant that we nearly destroyed the convoy we were supposed to escort." Lucy muttered under her breath.

"You were saying something?" Erza gave Lucy one of her trademark glares while frowning.

"W-What? O-Of course not Erza….hehehe.." Lucy panicked. Erza let her gaze linger until she looked away, causing Lucy to sigh in relief.

"Hey Wendy, do you have any fish?" Happy innocently asked.

"Sorry Happy, but I used most of my money to pay for my rent and groceries." her words caused Happy to sulk a little.

_*growl*_

Happy's stomach growled a little loudly causing the small group to look at him.

"Sorry guys, but my new magic takes a lot out of me… I need to eat a lot lately in order to replenish my energy." sensing truth in his words - Happy has been making rather lame excuses in order for guild members to give him free fish - , Makarov pulled out a 20 inch salmon out of nowhere, causing Happy to drool.

"FIIIIIISSSHH~" The guild master threw the salmon at the starving exceed, who devoured the fish in record time. This caused Team Natsu to laugh, including Carla.

***SLAM***

Once again, the guild doors slammed open and revealed a rather large group of people. Upon closer inspection, It was just Team Shadow Gear, Team Strauss, Laxus Dreyar and The Raijinshuu. Team Shadow Gear was consisted of Gajeel Redfox, Levy McGarden, Droy and Jet. Team Strauss was (obviously) consisted of the Strauss siblings: Mirajane 'Demon' Strauss, Elfman Strauss, and Lisanna Strauss. The Raijinshuu was consisted of Evergreen (who, by the way, is in a secret relationship with Elfman), Fried Justine, and Bixlow.

Like Team Natsu, a few of the members went through a bit of change. Gajeel is nicer (but only towards Levy, his mate) and is an S-class mage, Jet and Droy stopped fighting for Levy's attention and now focus on getting stronger, Elfman got more muscular, Laxus is back to his old self (his nicer side), and the Raijinshuu are more open to others. Mira and Lisanna barely changed, while Levy went through a lot of change. Due to the fact that she is now Gajeel's mate, she has inherited his dragon characteristics, such as elongated canines, and enhanced senses. As previously mentioned, Levy has access to "Iron Dragon Slayer Magic" making her an Iron Dragon Slayer. However, she only uses her magic sparingly due to her inexperience with the magic.

"Hi Lu-chan." Levy walked towards the bar with Mira as the group of mages at the door dispersed to their own spots.

"Hey, Levy. How was your mission?"

"It was fun, especially when Gajeel and I did a dual **Iron Dragon's Roar**." the petite blue-haired mage smiled.

"Gehehe, her roar was pretty powerful too. A bit more practice and she could probably match mine." Gajeel walked up to his mate and hugged her.

"Awww. Gajeel has a soft side for Levy." Gray smirked.

"At least I got a girlfriend, ice cube."

"Shut your mouth, tin can."

"Make me, popsicle" Suddenly, Gray's fist connected with Gajeel's face, which caused Gajeel to hit a guild member and thus starting another infamous Fairy Tail brawl.

"**FOR MAN'S SAKE, WE JUST GOT HERE AND YOU'RE ALREADY FIGHTING!"** Elfman bellowed as he was pulled into the brawl.

"HAHAHAHAHA…" as Gray was laughing, he didn't notice the dark aura emanating from none other than Levy.

"Gray….." Levy said menacingly; Gray, not catching Levy's tone of voice, turned around to see an angry dragon slayer.

"_**Iron Dragon's Club!"**_ Levy's arm turned into a pole and hit Gray in the gut. The force of the attack caused him to fly across the guildhall and embed into the wall. "**THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR HURTING MY MATE!"** Due to the author's stupidity, they have not told the reader that Levy has grown quite protective of Gajeel (and vice versa). Most guild members stared at shock because they never expected the shy Levy to get angry like that. Sensing everyone's gaze, she quickly got self-conscious and became shy once more.

"Sorry….." Levy looked at the ground in shame.

"Damn, you've gotten stronger Levy." Laxus attempted to cheer her up.

"Of course she did, she's my mate." Gajeel added while comforting her. Erza walked up to Gray and picked him up.

"You knew better than to hit Gajeel in front of Levy." She said with a smirk.

"Sorry, got caught up in the moment." Gray replied with a smirk of his own. He hobbled to the bar and when he got there, he was barraged with apologies from Levy. He quickly dismissed them by putting the blame on himself.

'_He's matured quite a bit. I wonder if that's because he's gone.' _Erza thought with a small, sad frown which was unnoticed by everyone but Mira and Makarov. Sensing her sadness, Mira did the only thing that could cheer Erza up: give her some strawberry cheesecake.

"Here you go." She handed the cake to Erza with a smile, which got a her a smile in return.

'_I've become predictable.'_ Erza smiled as she took a small bite out of her cake.

"Still thinking about him, huh?" Makarov asked with a concerned look that a father gives to his sad children.

"Yes." It took one word for Makarov to drop the subject. He noticed the guild doors open slowly and wondered who it was. He was hoping that it was Cana, Juvia, Romeo, Bisca and Alzack since they went on a mission together, leaving Asuka with Macao due to the fact that he is experienced with looking after children. An individual wearing a hood and cloak entered the guild and looked around.

"Hello there. How may I help you?" Kinana, one of the guild's barmaids asked.

"I'm looking for the master of this guild." The mysterious person answered with low voice.

"I'm right here," the person turned around to see a short man with a balding head looking at him with a wide grin "My name is Makarov, I am the master of this guild. What is your business?" At this moment, the guild was silent and all had eyes on the mysterious figure. The figure pulled down their hood to reveal a young man in his twenties with orange and red hair, and hazel eyes.

"I would like to join." the man gave Makarov a small smile. Suddenly, Makarov turned serious and stared at the man.

"You may not join unless you answer my questions." Makarov began, his glare caused the man to winced very slightly. Preparing for the worst questions, the hardened his will.

"Ask away." Then Makarov smiled.

"What's your name and where would you like your guild mark stamped?" the man just blinked, he wasn't prepared for such simple questions.

"My name is Hansuke Terranos." the man, whose name is Hansuke answered with after recovering from his shock "and I would like my guild mark on my right forearm."

"Alrighty! Just go the bar where that young lady," Makarov points to Mira "would give you your stamp, and then you're in. Now Fairy Tail, **LET'S PARTY**!" he pulled out a barrel of beer out of nowhere and began to drink as the entire guild started to do the same.

'_I got in so easily and this guild is partying because of me joining.'_ Hansuke thought as he walked towards the bar where Mira was waiting.

"Hello, my name's Mirajane Strauss." she smiled at Hansuke. "What colour would you like for your guild stamp?"

"Orange with a red outline, please" She began to fidget with the stamp and moments later, on Hansuke's right forearm was the Fairy Tail insignia.

"Thank you Mirajane."

"Call me Mira, want me to introduce you to the members?"

"Sure, why not." And so they walked around the guild and met the members. Each and everyone left an impression on Hansuke. For example when he met Gray, the first thought that went on his head was: '_Pervert'_. Afterwards, the guild erupted into a full on brawl, which was started by Gajeel. When he went (ran) to the bar to avoid getting involved (killed), he saw Erza looking at the brawl with a sad face while holding a scaly white scarf. It struck him as odd because in his short time in the guild, Erza never seemed to stop smiling.

"What's the matter, Erza?" Erza jumped a bit before looking at him with a smile.

"It's nothing, I assure you. I'm just a little tired." She went back to eating her cake, hoping that he bought her lie. Unfortunately, he did saw through it but decided not to press on.

'_I wonder why the brawl made her sad. I should ask the master.'_ Hours later, the guild quieted down, probably because everybody was asleep due to exhaustion. The only people awake were Erza, Happy, Mira, Hansuke, and Makarov, although he was drunk.

"Happy, let's go home." Erza stood up and began to walk towards the doors.

"Aye, sir!" Happy activated his _**Aera**_ and flew alongside Erza.

"Do you have a playsh to shtay, Hanshuke?~" Makarov slurred.

"I'm afraid not." he answered while scratching his head.

"You can come with us." Erza offered with a smile.

"Aye!" Happy backing her up.

"Alright, lead the way." the trio walked in the streets of town in silence. The entire time, Hansuke noticed that Erza was clutching the scarf with a look of longing on her face.

"We're here." they reached a small and crudely made house. On the front, there was a cat-shaped sign that read:

Natsu

and

Happy

Erza walked up to the sign and put her hand on it with a small smile. When they entered the house, he immediately saw to his right a board filled with job requests and a hammock right beside it. A table filled with various objects was near the hammock along with a maid outfit.

'_Why is there a maid outfit here?'_

"You're room is at the right door, good night." Happy directed Hansuke as he flew to the hammock and immediately fell asleep. Erza simply went to the door ahead of him and entered the room. He walked to the door to his right and opened it, only to be greeted with a simple bed. He took off his cloak and shirt and laid on the bed. His eyes were about to close when he heard a soft noise. It sounded like someone was crying and that someone sounded like Erza. He stood up and opened the door. Happy seemed to be expecting him because when he opened the door, Happy looked at him with a grim look at his face.

"Go back to sleep. Ignore it."

"How can I do that? I can hear Erza crying, let me try to comfort her." he tried to reason with the exceed.

"You can't, no one can comfort her. She always cries herself to sleep, ever since that incident." Happy muttered the last part under his breath. Seeing that there was no way to convince the exceed to move, Hansuke simply closed the door and went to sleep.

'_Why are you crying, Erza?'_ were his final thoughts before exhaustion overwhelmed him.

* * *

Hansuke wakes up the the smell of bacon and fried fish. Putting on his shirt, he walks out of his room and is greeted by Erza, who was about to knock at the door.

"Morning."

"Morning." Hansuke greeted back.

"Come on, breakfast is ready." He follows her to a small room where a table had food on top of it. They had a quick breakfast with bacon, fish, eggs and rice. Afterwards, they leave to change clothes and when they finished, the trio left the house and made their way to the guild building.

"Hansuke," the orange haired wizard looked at Erza. Now that his cloak was gone, his clothing was revealed to them. He wore a red trenchcoat with black trimmings over an orange button up shirt, dark green pants and tan boots. "Since you're new to the guild, you are required to do your first few jobs with either 1 member or a group. Thankfully, almost everyone is here meaning that you can choose from an assortment of people."

"I understand." Now that they're in front of the guild, Happy pushed the doors open. They were greeted by the sight of unconscious guild members on the ground, except for a few who were trying to heal their hangovers.

"Morning…." Lucy groggily said. Happy landed beside her and started to poke Gray on the face, who was asleep.

"Where's Mira?" Erza asked while looking around.

"Right here." Mira popped out from behind the bar "Sorry, I was looking for some herbs to help Lucy, I was pretty sure we had a big supply of those."

"It's alright, Mira. May I have the usual, if you may."

"Sure, be right back." She turned around and left for the kitchen, arriving moments later with a small slice of strawberry cheesecake.

'_Cheesecake? This early in the morning?'_ Fairy Tail seems to keep surprising the newcomer. Then Makarov exited his office and went to the bar.

"Mira, the usual." Shortly after, the old man was drinking ale out of a mug. "Good morning Hansuke."

"Good morning, master." As they sat there, slowly but surely, the unconscious members began to wake up. By the time the clock struck 11 AM, Fairy Tail was back to its rowdy self.

"Hansuke, we were wondering if you wanted to join us with our mission." Wendy offered him.

"Sure, what's the job?" At that moment, he noticed that Gajeel, Levy and Laxus were looking at him suspiciously. He quickly looked away, hoping that no one saw him looking at them. Unfortunately, Wendy caught his gaze towards the others.

"Don't worry about them. Lately, they have been reluctant when it comes to new people joining." Hansuke was about to ask why when Wendy interrupted him. "Oh, and the mission is an extermination mission. It's quite straightforward, get rid of monsters and they pay us." With that said, the duo walked towards the door where the rest of Team Natsu was waiting. When they were out of sight, the three dragon slayers began conversing with each other.

"Is it just me or he smelled funny." Laxus began.

"I agree. We need to keep an eye on him, we don't want some council mole infiltrating us like last time." Levy spoke with a bit of venom in her voice. Gajeel just nodded, it seems that his mate was doing a lot of the talking for him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Team Natsu was at the train station waiting for their train. The group was quiet due to two things: one, Lucy and Gray were still suffering from the after effects of a hangover, and two the others were too deep in their thoughts. The train's loud whistle brought them back to reality as they rushed to the train. They quickly took their seats and once again, a deafening silence was heard from the group. Until one of them spoke up.

"So…...what are we exterminating again?" the owner of this voice was Wendy, the silence was killing her. Team Natsu was never like this, they were always happy and loud.

"I never gave you guys the details of the mission, I apologize." Everyone looked at Erza "we are going to be exterminating Wyverns that have been wreaking havoc at Oshibana. So, it's gonna be a pretty long train ride. The reward for the mission was 250 000 per person."

"Per person…. How much per cat?" Happy's idiotic questions, once again, hit a nerve of Lucy's.

"I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want to pay a stupid cat like you…" Tick marks began to appear on Lucy's head.

"Lucy, don't be mean to Happy. You know, as much as us except Hansuke, how Happy's mind works." Erza defended Happy.

"I guess you're right. Gray, are you ok? You have been quiet lately."

"I'm fine, Lucy. Just itching for a fight."

'_I can see through your lies, Gray.'_ Hansuke thought '_why are you being so gloomy and quiet?"_ then Hansuke's eyes began to get heavy and he noticed that all but Erza were getting drowsy. He tried to fight it, but in the end he fell asleep.

'_Sorry guys, I needed some time alone; good thing Mystogan taught me his sleep magic when he visited Earthland for Natsu's funeral. Oshibana, huh?...' _Erza though with a sad smile '_My first mission as a team with Natsu, Gray and Lucy took place here. I wonder if anyone from the town remembers us.'_ Hours later, the train arrived at Oshibana station and the small group immediately went to the city hall. They were greeted by tall, well-built man with brown hair that has gray strands on the sides and onyx eyes wearing a black tuxedo.

'_Onyx eyes….exactly like his, but also different. This guy's eyes were dull and are lacking emotion.' _Lucy thought.

"I take it that you are here for the job." the man emotionlessly said. "May I ask which guild you are from."

"We're from Fairy Tail." Gray answered with a smug look.

"I see, may I see your guild marks." Each member then showed their guild marks. "Hmmm. Come in…..One moment please." with that, he left and and the group waited for a few minutes until an old man with a trimmed goatee arrived at the hallway.

"Welcome Fairy Tail mages! Thank you for accepting this job, you have no idea how bothersome the wyverns have been lately." the man beamed at them with a wide grin. "By the way, I would like to thank you three for saving the citizens of this town seven years ago." he said while gesturing at Erza, Lucy and Gray.

"You're welcome, sir. It was our pleasure. Now, where are the wyverns located." Lucy said.

"They are located about 3 kilometers to the south of the town. Be careful, there are rumors that there is a nest there."

"Thanks you for the information." Happy said and the mages left the hall.

* * *

_A FEW MINUTES LATER_

The mages arrived to see a large amount of wyverns and noticed that some are huddled around a bunch of elliptical objects.

"Seems that the rumors are right, there is a nest here." Hansuke said.

"Let's go. _**Requip.**_" Erza was engulfed in a bright light and when the light receded, she was wearing a long white skirt with metal parts, a very small metal chestplate that only covered her chest, metal greaves and boots, and on her back were wings of metal. She flew the first group of wyverns and incapacitated two of them.

"_**Blumenblatt!"**_ a circle of 12 swords spun above her and flew in different directions. Each sword hit a wyvern dead-on, killing them on the spot.

"_**Ice Make Lance!" **_Hansuke turned to the right and saw Gray extending his arms and poles of ice with spear points erupted from his hands and hit a group of wyverns.

"_**Gate of the Bull, I open thee: TAURUS!"**_ Lucy yelled out while clutching an axe shaped golden key. A humanoid bull wearing speedos wielding a two handed axe materialized.

"You called, Miss Lucy?" the bull asked, Hansuke assumed that it was Taurus.

"Yup, those are your targets, do your thing." Lucy ordered while pointing at a group of wyverns.

"**ANYTHING FOR MISS LUCY'S AMAZING BODY!**" Taurus swung his axe, he managed to kill one wyvern, but the shockwave from the attack caused the surrounding wyverns to topple over.

"_**Sky Dragon's Roar"**_ a large torrent of wind was released from Wendy's mouth and it effectively rendered many of the wyverns unconscious. "_**O strength of arm to cleave the heavens! ARMS!"**_ Hansuke saw that everyone was engulfed in an aura that danced around them. He noticed that their attacks have gotten stronger afterwards.

'_Since everyone is fighting, I think I should join in.' _slipping off his jacket, he removed two axes from holsters on his hips. Running to the closest wyvern, he jumped and smashed the monster's into the ground with a powerful downward swing. Looking to his side, he saw wyverns surrounding Happy and Carla. Acting upon instinct, he threw both of his axes, both hitting a wyvern and ran towards them. What he saw and heard next, he wasn't expecting.

"_**Battle Form!**_" The small blue frame of Happy the cat was engulfed in a bright light and moments later was replaced by a muscular blue body roughly his size. Surprisingly, the innocent face of Happy was replaced by the face of a battle hardened warrior.

"_**Requip.**_" Happy extended his right arm and a sword materialized in his hand. He swung horizontally in a circle and somehow hit all of the surrounding wyverns, knocking them away. Happy sees two axes on the ground and picked them up. Needless to say, he was surprised that the weapons were so light.

"Damn, Happy… I was not expecting this to happen." Hansuke gestures to Happy. "By the way, those are mine." Happy gives the axes to Hansuke with a small smile.

"Not many are. People usually think that I am a defenseless cat. Boy, you should see the looks on their faces when I activate my battle form." The two shared a laugh. "What are your axes made out of, they're unusually light."

"Mithril (**A/N yeah,yeah… Author has limited imagination and had to use a metal from LOTR.)**... Forged by Dwarves, 3 times as strong as iron yet as light as a feather."

"I see. Well, we've been chatting long enough.. **TO BATTLE!**" the trio ran towards another group of wyverns and began to knock them out.

* * *

_ONE HOUR LATER_

The Wyvern Nest was now empty except for the few dead wyvern corpses here and there. The surviving wyverns simply grabbed their eggs and flew away. Team Natsu was taking a short break from their battle.

"Boy am I spent." Happy dug into his small backpack and pulled out a fish, silly Happy.

"I agree, these wyverns were more troublesome than I thought." Erza was looking into the distance, thinking.

"Who cares, as I long as I got to fight, I'm good." Gray was laying on the ground, wearing only boxers.

"**GRAY! YOUR CLOTHES!**" an angry Carla began to scold Gray ceaselessly about stripping in public as he was frantically searching for his clothes. Who knew that a cat could discipline an S-class mage as if it was it's mother. Lucy, Wendy and Hansuke were just watching as the scene unfolded, laughing at Gray's actions. Lucy felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck and she fell to the ground, unconscious. Everyone suffered the same fate, save Wendy and….Hansuke?

"Huh?" Wendy felt something poke the back of her neck. She turned around and looked to the ground to see a small dart. It looks like her dragon-like skin saved her; she looked at her comrades and was surprised to see Hansuke awake and well.

"Hans-" She attempted to speak.

"Questions later, can you smell them?" She shook her head "Me neither, they must be masking their scent somehow." Her ears picked up to the sound of movement to her right; turning to that direction, she saw a group of men brandishing their swords.

"Looks like we've got ourselves some nice fairies to sell." even though they were pretty far away, she could hear them perfectly, thanks to her dragon sense. "Get rid of those two, I don't know why they're still awake and I don't care." She was about to attack when Hansuke stepped in front of her.

"I got this, you go nullify the drug. Besides, it's been quite a while since I loosened up." He spoke with a small smile that got into her nerves. Although she was hesitant, she went and began to heal the unconscious mages. Meanwhile, the strange men were charging Hansuke, ready to kill him.

"_**Hellfire Dragon King's Roar!"**_ a torrent of red, black and orange flames escaped his mouth and hit all the attackers. Wendy's and Erza's (she was the first to wake up) eyes widened at the sheer amount of power displayed by the roar.

'_Why is this power so familiar. It's almost like Natsu's' _the same thought went into both of their heads as they were watching Hansuke walk towards the strangers' leaders. He picked him up by the collar and lit one of his hands on fire. Red, black and orange were the colours of the flame that danced around his hand.

"Who are you? Answer quickly and I may consider knocking you unconscious rather than killing you." Hansuke glared at the man. He felt the man tremble under his grip.

"W-w-we are members of the d-d-dark guild, P-panther's Maw that e-escaped from Crime S-sorciere." The man shakily said, he let out a sigh of relief when Hansuke extinguished the fire on his hand. Then he felt a sharp pain on his stomach and his vision faded to black.

"Thanks." He walked towards the members of Team Natsu. "We should tie these guys up and send them to Crime Sorciere, who ever they are." they complied and they spent the next 5 minutes tying up the unconscious (and slightly burnt) dark guild members. When they were done, they sat down while Erza pulled out a Communication Lacrima and spoke to Jellal. After their brief conversation, Erza walked towards Hansuke with a glare that the others knew too well and they were shaking because of the event that was unfolding… The old Erza was resurfacing…

"You owe us some answers." Hansuke looked at her; instead of the small smile he was accustomed to, he saw that Erza had a scowl on her face and her eyes were glaring daggers at him.

"I figured as much.." He sighed, knowing that there will be no escape. "Ask away."

"First of all.. Who are you, no lying or I will gut you alive." To prove her point, she summoned a sword and pointed it at his chest. Everyone now had their full undivided attention towards the two.

"Where should I begin…" Hansuke stayed silent for a while to organize his thoughts.


	4. Hansuke's Past

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

"I am Hansuke Terranos, a Hellfire Dragon King Slayer. By the way, I have not put on any false masks when I joined Fairy Tail, I am the same person before and after joining Fairy Tail." He let out a chuckle, only to be stopped by Erza putting more pressure on his chest.

"I was born and raised on a small village, it's name long forgotten by me. My family was neither rich nor poor. My father, Yorin Terranos, was a pretty well-known blacksmith; an honest and hardworking man, he alway was away from home. Usually, he sends us money in order for us to support ourselves, and sometimes he sends some extra jewels in order for us to buy some luxuries such as ice cream. One day, he returned home for a vacation and we were very happy. Until those men came."

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

"**AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!**" the scream of a woman was heard throughout the town as an explosion destroyed a few houses.

"**KILL ALL THE ADULTS AND TAKE ALL CHILDREN! BE CAREFUL THOUGH, WE NEED THE CHILDREN ALIVE!"** a man wearing a mask with a strange symbol on it began to bark orders to others wearing the same mask. Hearing this, Yorin Terranos ran to his house to see his wife and children by the table.

"Reya, take the children and run to the nearest town." He then ran to the kitchen and opened a secret trapdoor where a sword, shield and armour were hidden. Unbeknownst to the children, their father was a captain of the Fiore Army before meeting their mother, and had a reputation of being an excellent warrior. He retired from the Army because he didn't want his wife and family to suffer if he dies on the frontlines. He hastily put on the armour while his family began to pack clothing and food. Minutes later, they left the house and went to the outskirts of town, passing by masked men chasing children or adults. They were about to part ways, but the children were crying since they may never see their father again.

"Hansuke…" Yorin began, "You must stay strong for your sister and mother. Since that I am not gonna be around more often, can you become the man of the family?" Hansuke reluctantly nodded, tears flowing at a rapid rate. "Good… Watch over them for me."

Yorin turned around and began to run towards the burning village while his family ran on the opposite direction. He then came across a group of men chasing children. Jumping in between them, he swung his sword and incapacitated most of them.

"You are not harming those children, not while I'm still breathing." they just laughed as Yorin charged with a battle roar.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the Terranos family was running through the forest when suddenly their mother fell down. Hansuke tried to help her up, until he noticed an arrow halfway embedded in her calf. Maria, his sister was crying furiously as Hansuke tried to drag his mother to safety.

"Hansuke, my dear," the young boy looked up to see the smiling face of his mother. Her orange hair was flowing with the soft summer breeze and her hazel eyes were looking at him with all the love of a mother. "I'm fine, keep running until you reach the secret treehouse your father made for your 5th birthday. Do you remember that?" She gained a nod from her shaking son.

"Now go, take care of your sister to the best of your abilities. I know that you and her are going to grow up to be wonderful individuals."

"Where are they?" the distant voices of men was heard, albeit barely audible.

"I hit a woman at her leg over there, she had children with her."

"Let's check it out." fearing for the safety of her children, Reya pushed her children away from her. They were reluctant at first, but the elder child knew that it was necessary for their survival. He picked up his younger sister and began to run deeper into the forest. They were out of sight when the men reached Reya's barely conscious body.

Minutes later, Hansuke reached the base of a tall pine tree. Remembering the secret method of getting up there, he punched a part of the tree and a rope ladder fell before them. He let his sister go up first, then himself and pulled up the ladder. His sister was sobbing fairly noisily and he was trying to calm her down. Suddenly, the treehouse became quiet, that was when he noticed that his sister was deep asleep. Hearing voices, he shuffled to a corner of the house and held his sister tightly against his chest. The boy began to pray - no, beg - to an unknown entity to keep them safe from those men. Somehow, whether it was his prayers being answered or luck, the voices quieted down and the men began to leave the area. His eyes began to weigh like a ton, but he fought it off for a couple of hours until he finally fell asleep.

He woke up as he felt something poke his cheek. The cause was his sister, looking at him with wide, red and puffy eyes.

"Big brother, I'm hungry." She gave him puppy dog eyes that no human being could resist. Grabbing his bag, he pulled out a piece of bread and cheese and split it; he gave the bigger pieces to his sister. They quietly ate until he heard someone call their names.

"Hansuke! Maria!" the children recognized the voice, but were reluctant to show themselves. Looking outside through the window, they saw their Aunt Emilia walking around the forest with their Uncle Pewick. Deeming it safe, they lowered themselves from the treehouse and ran towards their relatives.

"**AUNTIE EM!**"

"**UNCLE PEW** (**A/N: Pewick is pronounced **_**peh-wick**_**, while Pew is pronounced **_**pee-yuw**_)**!**"

They hugged their aunt and uncle while sobbing. The adults looked at them with empathetic looks on their faces and returned the hug. When they broke away, the children looked at them with a curious look on their faces.

"Why were you looking for us?" They explained how their mother, before passing out from blood loss, contacted them and told them that they needed to save the children. Thankfully, they were at an inn located in the nearest town from the kids' village. Both adults were so worried that they brought along some Rune Knights. When they arrived at the town, they were met with a horrible sight. All of the houses were burned to the ground and bodies littered the streets. The most gruesome sight was of the children's father, barenaked and crucified with swords at the centre of the town, alongside the body of their mother, who shared the same fate as Yorin. In a fit of panic, Emilia and Pewick began to search around the forest until they remembered about Hansuke's 5th birthday and the gift he received from his father.

"Now let's go home, you two have been through too much." they held each other's hands, talked to the Rune Knights and headed home…. To Crocus.

* * *

_FLASHBACK END_

"Oh My God….." Lucy exclaimed while putting her hands over her mouth. Gray, Happy, Carla and Wendy were looking at him with shocked looks on their faces. Erza, on the other hand, had a thoughtful look on her face.

"When did this happen?" she spoke in an authoritative tone.

"About 15 years ago, I was seven years old and by sister was 4." then, she began to draw on the ground with her sword.

"Did the symbols on the men's masks look like this." he looked at it and was stunned.

'_How did she know?'_ he got over his shock and nodded.

"You're village was attacked by Zeref cultists….. You may be thinking how I know, it's because they, too, attacked my village when I was a child." He saw a tear go down her face before she wiped it away.

"Unlike you, I couldn't escape and they sent me to work on one of their projects. It was called the 'Tower of Heaven'. It was supposed to be able to revive Zeref, the darkest wizard that has ever lived and the man that they worshipped." Then she began to talk about how she escaped and gained magic in the process. When she talked about Jellal's descent into insanity, she seemed reluctant to keep talking. Sensing this, Gray took over for her; it seemed to Hansuke that he has heard this story before.

"Seven years ago, I had to relive that nightmare again when my old friends kidnapped me and took me the the finished tower as a sacrifice for Zeref." She paused and took a deep breath. "They were nearly successful in their mission, but they failed to take into consideration how overprotective Fairy Tail is to their family. Especially a specific pink-haired Fire Dragon Slayer. He saved me from death that day, twice." She emphasized 'twice', though she got a confused look from Hansuke.

"First, he saved me from Jellal's initial plan of using me as a sacrifice by defeating him. Afterwards, he saved me from sacrificing myself to save the others. I never figured out how he did it, but I was - and still am - grateful for it." She finished her tale and looked at Hansuke. It looks like he was processing the information.

'_Pink-haired dragon slayer? I have never seen one in my travels, although I have heard of a Fire Dragon Slayer's exploits. What was his name again? Sacharaid? Salamander? Yeah, that's it.'_

"Was this Fire Dragon Slayer known to you as Salamander?" he asked.

"To his enemies and the media,yes. But that is just an alias, in fact the only person that knew him personally and yet calls him by that name is Gajeel Redfox. His real name was Natsu Dragneel." She spoke his name in a quiet and cracking voice. As he looked at her, he noticed that she was about to cry, along with the entire group.

"He seems like a cool guy, when can I meet him?" he asked while smiling. To his shock and surprise, Erza fell on her knees and began to cry. In an instant, Happy began to comfort her, although he was also crying, while the rest walked up to him. Sensing the melancholic aura coming from them, he dropped his smile.

"You can't meet him, he's unreachable." Gray told him with a look of sadness in his voice, but Hansuke was persistent on meeting Natsu.

"Why?"

"It's because he's dead… He's been dead for 7 years." Carla answered for everyone, her comrades visibly winced at her blunt statement.

"H-how?" They began to go over what happened in Tenrou Island during their annual S-class exams, the arrival of Acnologia, and his sacrifice. Each one of them seemed reluctant to retell the event, but since he is a comrade, he deserves to know.

"There is an unwritten rule concerning this in the guild." Wendy spoke in a serious tone. "Never talk about it, especially around Erza and Happy because they took his death the worst. You've seen it first hand how much it pains them." He just nodded and walked towards Erza, who finally calmed down.

"I'm sorry Erza, I didn't know." She just smiled at him.

"It's ok, it's my fault for making you feel bad. I just never got over it, he was the kind of guy who was always there for you and cheered you up every opportunity he has."

"Hmmm. I'm sorry to ask you, but aside from your usual scent there is also another one around you. I'm assuming that it's the first stage of a dragon's mark." she nodded as he continued. "Is the owner of the mark Natsu?" she once again nodded. "I see.. You love him very much don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

"He's lucky, you know. To have such a nice girl as a mate." She blushed as he held out his hand. She grabbed it and stood up, taking Happy with her.

"You still haven't explained how you got your dragon slayer powers." Gray scowled at him.

"Let's go to an inn first, I'm pretty uncomfortable talking about it with these guys nearby." the dragon slayer pointed at the bundle of men in ropes. Everybody nodded in agreement and went back to town.

* * *

_MINUTES LATER, AFTER RECEIVING THEIR REWARD AND FINDING AN INN_

The mages gathered around Hansuke, who was sitting down on his bed with a thoughtful look on his face. All of them were anxious and curious about how he got his dragon slayer magic.

"It all began when my sister was captured by slave traders seven years ago. I looked all over Fiore for her; and when I found her, I was captured by her owner's guards and was tortured. They used me as a form of blackmailing against my sister, she had to serve her master obediently or they would kill me. When she agreed, they dragged me into an underground room where the master also blackmailed me. I had to stay there and never attempt to escape unless I wanted my sister to die. In order to keep my dead parents' promise of keeping her safe, I had to concede." He paused for a moment. before continuing.

"I spent 5 years in that small room. They treated me decently, knowing that I will never try to escape. My sister had to go through that man's abusive nature and when she visits me, she usually had bruised arms, a black eye or both. It pained me to see her like this, I was tempted to escape many times. The last time I saw her like this was the last time I would ever see that man."

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

The door to Hansuke's cell was opened to reveal a well-dressed pudgy man entering, along with two muscular guards, while dragging a young woman with him. The man was of average height, had a pale complexion, light gray hair and green eyes. He wore a black tux with a white button shirt and black bowtie. The young woman was a bit short for her age, had red hair with bits of orange, hazel eyes, and tanned skin that was ruined by blackish-blue spots. The pudgy man pushed the girl towards Hansuke. Acting on instinct, she hugged her brother tightly with tears flowing out of her closed eyes.

"Are you ok, Maria?" he whispered, she nodded her head even though she knew that her brother could tell otherwise.

"HAHAHA… Your sister is pathetic, young man… Seriously, she nearly broke another teacup of mine." Hansuke's patience was running thin, he was trying to hold in his anger for FIVE long years in order for his sister to survive.

"Mister Gunsen, please refrain from calling my sister pathetic or -"

"Or what?! You can't do anything and you know that. The moment you touch me is the moment my men will kill your sister." Hansuke winced and hugged his sister tighter against his chest.

"Now that I think about it, I should get rid of your sister…" Hansuke and Maria's eyes widened. "And what better way than to sell her to another master, I know a friend that would pay handsomely for a beautiful young lady like her." At that moment, Hansuke was consumed by anger and bloodlust. He let go of his sister and dashed forwards in an incredible speed and punched Gensen right in the throat. The older man clutched his throat and made a choking noise until he fell to the ground, dead. The two guards were paralyzed in shock because he moved at such amazing speed. Before they recovered, he punched both of them in the gut, causing them to bend forward, and snapped their necks.

"Let's go Maria, we have to leave this place." Maria went to him and held his hand. They exited the mansion (which was were they were being kept) and ran into another forest. They were able to run for only five minutes until they were greeted by a large figure. That figure was of a red dragon.

"**Humans?"** the large creature eyed the frozen siblings curiously "**I wasn't expecting this. I heard the movements similar to that of a scared animal minutes ago. I never thought it was you. Are you running away from something?"** Maria, who was the first to recover, nodded and told him everything. After her story, the dragon let out a low growl.

"**I know about human slavery and it disgusts me to hear that an individual would consider his own kind as slaves. Come with me, I'll keep you two safe."**

"How will we know that you won't eat us?" Hansuke asked. The dragon laughed (**A/N: Can dragons laugh?**).

"**I would never eat my own students.**"

"Students?"

"**I can teach you magic capable of slaying dragons unless you don't want to learn it."**

"I would be honoured to be your student." The siblings said in unison.

"**Good, I will teach you everything I know. However, there is one condition: only use your magic to protect yourselves and the ones you care about, understood?" **the duo nodded. "**Now that we have an understanding, climb on my back, we have training to do."** both of them climbed on its back and once they were ready, it flapped its wings and flew off into the distance.

* * *

_FLASHBACK END_

"When we landed, he gave my sister some time to heal her bruises. After she completely healed, our training began and two years later, we became proficient in the art of dragon slayer magic. Though, he wanted my sister to stay because he said she needed to work on her magic."

"What's your sister's magic?" Wendy asked.

"_**Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen Slayer**_. It's almost like your magic, Wendy, it focuses on support rather than fighting."

"That's so cool."

"How did that dragon know two kinds of dragon slayer magic?" Erza asked.

"I have no idea, he never revealed much to us."

"Well, it's getting late and we need to wake up early to catch our train tomorrow." Lucy told the team.

"Aye! I need my cat nap." They dispersed and went to their beds. Moments later, the inn was quiet as the mages were sleeping in peace.


	5. Keys of the Starry Skies (altered)

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

_HOURS AFTER LAST CHAPTER'S EVENTS_

Team Natsu (seeing his potential, the members decided to make Hansuke a member of Team Natsu) finally reached the guild hall's doors.

"Hey! They're finally back." a brunette holding a barrel hollered. This woman is Cana Alberona, she became an S-class mage after Gray became one. They walked up to the bar as Erza ordered her favourite meal.

"AAAH! Gray-sama is so bold~." Gray and Hansuke looked at a blue haired mage staring at Gray with a confused look on their faces. When they followed her gaze, they found out that he was wearing only his boxers, again. Gray panicked and began to frantically search for his clothes while the same blue haired mage was trailing him, the scene caused the guild to erupt in laughter. That bluenette was Juvia Lockser, she too became an S-class mage; in fact she is the most recent addition to the S-classes. Hansuke felt a shiver up his spine and when he turned around he saw Gajeel, Levy and Laxus looking at him angrily. Suddenly, he was embedded against the wall by Gajeel and Levy with their _**Iron Dragon Clubs**_.

"What's….. going….. on?" Hansuke barely formed the words because he had difficulty breathing. The guild was as silent as a doornail and their attention was on Hansuke.

"**SHUT IT!**" Laxus roared "Now listen, you have 3 seconds to start telling us who you are, or else we will beat the living crap out of you." To prove their point, the iron dragon slayers increased the pressure on Hansuke.

"Drop him." a dark voice commanded, a voice that they knew all too well. It was Erza and she was really pissed that they would do this to the newest member of their Fairy Tail family. Of course, as all sane people do, they obeyed her command and released Hansuke. Wendy and Lucy went to help him up while Gray and Erza were glaring at the three dragon slayers darkly.

"It seems that you three are begging for punishment." Erza cracked her knuckles and summoned a sword, the entire guild began to cower in fear, especially Laxus, Levy and Gajeel.

"You don't have to do that Erza." Everyone snapped their heads towards Hansuke's direction. "They deserve an explanation, and I'll give it to them." He then told them the tales he told Team Natsu during their mission. The guild was shocked at his past, but one person was not convinced.

"**IT'S NOT MANLY TO LIE ABOUT A MAN'S PAST!**" Guess who said that.

"Don't believe me? Hey Mira, can you give me a blank lacrima.." she went to behind the counter, got an unused lacrima and gave it to Hansuke. He held it in his right hand while resting his left index and middle finger on its surface.

"_**Memory Transfer"**_ a burst of red, black and orange fire flowed from his hand and engulfed the lacrima. When the fire dissipated, the lacrima floated in the air and began showing his memories of the Zeref Cultists attacking, killing Gensen and meeting the dragon. After the lacrima was done showing his memories, it fell back down into his hand and was the same when he got it.

"Happy?"

"Aye!" Happy flew in front of Hansuke with his paw in the air.

"I wasn't talking to you!" a tick mark appeared on Hansuke's forehead.

"But you called my name." Happy was genuinely confused.

"I was asking the guild if they were happy about seeing my memories!"

"Oh…" Happy and the entire guild said in unison. Hansuke just facepalmed. The guild just nodded their heads and began to resume their previous activities as Hansuke plopped on the nearest chair, he was tired from using _**Memory Transfer**_, it's quite a difficult magic to use.

"Mira, can you tell the others to go on a job without me today.." Hansuke's dragon sense picked up Erza's conversation with Mira.

"Why?" Erza remained silent. "Oh, today's the day isn't it?"

"Yes." her answer was barely audible to Hansuke.

"Go ahead, I'll tell them." with that Erza left the guild, bringing Happy with her. He was about to get up and follow her until a hand rested on his shoulder. He turned around to see Makarov looking at him with a sad face.

"Leave her be. Today is a sad day for her. I assume that someone told you about Natsu and his death." he spoke in a hushed tone so that no one but dragon slayers could eavesdrop. Hansuke nodded. "Well, today is the 7th anniversary of his death. Every year, Erza goes to his tomb to pay her respects and also to cry her heart out." Understanding the situation, Hansuke sat back down. An hour later, the guild doors opened to reveal a young woman with blonde hair wearing a pink dress enter the building.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Lisanna sweetly asked.

"I'm here to see Lucy Heartfilia." The woman asked.

"Huh? I'm Lucy Heartfilia, why do you want to see me?" The young woman began to tear up and then jumped towards Lucy, hugging her.

"Big Sister!"

"**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH?!"** the entire guild was really confused about this. When the two women finally broke apart, the newcomer began to introduce herself. Her name was Michelle Lobster and she was looking for Lucy for quite a while. She then brought up a fairly large case and opened it. In it was an object wrapped in bandages.

"What is this?"

"I have no idea, your father wanted to give this to you before he passed away." The mentioning of her father's death brought back painful memories of his funeral. Lucy was tearing up, but she hardened her will and dried her eyes.

"Why didn't anyone give me this after his funeral?"

"I have no idea." Hansuke eyed Michelle suspiciously, there was something up with her and she smelled weird.

"You noticed too, huh?" Gajeel asked his fellow dragon slayer, gaining a nod as an answer. "Something's up, the others agreed to keep an eye on her. You in?" Once again, Hansuke nodded and Gajeel walked away.

The next day, the guild was buzzing with conversations, all about Michelle and the mysterious object. Suddenly, the doors opened to reveal 3 people. The one in the left was a blonde man with a pompadour hair cut, sunglasses, a wooden staff, and white disco attire. The one in the right was a small girl with light brown hair, brown eyes, a short dress over a white shirt, green leggings and sandals with wing accessories by the heel. The person on the centre was a young woman with purple hair that had some white at the front, a wand that looked like a hand, a white blouse underneath a green tank top, green pants and orange boots.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" Erza asked.

"We're are members of the Zentopia Legion Corps and we're here to ask you to give that to us." She said while pointing at the case that Michelle was holding. "along with Lucy Hearfilia."

"We cannot do that, young lady. Michelle is under the protection of Fairy Tail and Lucy is a member of our family, so if you want to take them… You're going to have to go through us." Makarov stated while walking right in front of the Legion Corps members.

"We can have that arranged." the purple-haired lady smirked. The little girl beside her disappeared and reappeared right beside Michelle a moment later. The two briefly fought for possession of the case until Erza intervened. A sword flew in between them, causing the little girl to jump backwards in alarm. Erza was in her Heaven's Wheel armour and was looking at her with an angry glare, along with every Fairy Tail mage present. The little girl disappeared again and reappeared beside her comrades.

"It looks like you didn't understand us the first time. Let me tell you again. **TO GET WHAT YOU WANT, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO OVER OUR DEAD BODIES**!" the mages cheered in support of Erza.

"Humph, Sugarboy, if you may." The blonde man, whose name was Sugarboy, extended his arms and green goop began to flow out of it. The closest mages, including Makarov, were caught in the goop and couldn't escape. It began to move towards the other mages until a pillar of fire appeared behind Sugarboy.

"_**Hellfire Dragon King's Roar"**_ Sugarboy's back was hit by a stream of fire and he doubled over before going blacking out.

"Wha-?" the purple-haired mage was surprised, how did an lowly mage knock out an Elite mage such as Sugarboy in on hit. Her thoughts were interrupted by a man yelling.

"_**Hellfire Dragon King's Devastating Blow!**_" his hands were engulfed in fire and he jumped towards the stunned Zentopian mage. He was about to hit her, but his body suddenly froze and was thrown towards Fairy Tail. He was about to hit Lisanna when a large shield intercepted his attack. The contact between the two caused a powerful shock wave that knocked most of the people on their butts.

"Why are you attacking us?" Venom was in every word Erza spoke.

"I wasn't.. I was about to hit that woman until my body froze up and was sent towards you guys against my own will." Hansuke tried to explain. Erza was about to call him a liar and demolish him if it wasn't for the master's intervention.

"That woman is in possession of _**Command Magic**_, she is able to manipulate the movements of her enemies. By the way, what are your names, Zentopian mages?"

"I am Mary Hughes, she is Coco and he is Sugar Boy." the purple-haired mage spoke while pointing to herself, then the little girl, then the unconscious blonde man.

"_**Battle Form"**_ Happy and Pantherlily emerged from the guild with weapons drawn and began to attack the two remaining mages. Mary and Coco were keeping up due to their proficiency in hand-to-hand combat, but were overpowered in the end due to superior reflexes, strength and speed of the exceed warriors. Makarov called off their assault and the exceeds fell back. He walked up to the barely conscious mages and spoke to them.

"Leave." At the moment, Makarov was glowing in a faint gold aura. Fearing for their lives, the two women picked up their comrade and ran off.

"Do you know why they were after you two blondies?" Gajeel asked Michelle and Lucy.

"No… But I think my father had the answers." Lucy looked at the ground.

"I've got it!" Michelle jumped up and nearly gave Gajeel a heart attack "we should go to our old mansion, Big sister.."

"You're right.. Hey Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla, Happy, Hansuke, wanna come with us?"

"Sure, why not. Where one goes, we all go." Gray said while smiling. They left an hour later and when they arrived, they saw that the mansion seriously needed maintenance.

"Man, I'm gonna have to save up a lot of cash so that I could buy back this place." Lucy confidently said, albeit a bit grumpy that her old living space was in ruins. Happy was trying to revive an unconscious Hansuke, who fainted at the sight of Lucy's old home, by poking his face with a stick. Everybody else went inside and began to search for clues. When Hansuke regained his consciousness, he saw that everyone was trying to form words with some flash cards that had letters on them. They were about to start putting some letters together when Happy fell from the ceiling (he ran out of magic to support his _**Aera**_). In a fit of rage, they were about to kill Happy until Wendy (she's not that prone to anger) pointed out that the words _myth, duo _and _great_ were formed.

After some great Lucy detective skills, she was able to figure out that the message wanted her to get the book with the title "The Key of the Starry Heavens." They were about to celebrate until the doors were opened to reveal a young man in armour and an exceed wearing glasses.

"HAHAHAHA! He's wearing a diaper, guys." Happy laughed while pointing at the other exceed, causing the other members of Team Natsu to laugh uncontrollably. When they stopped laughing, they noticed that the exceed with glasses had a few tick marks on his head and smoke was coming out of his ears.

"You guild mages are a bunch of undisciplined animals.. No matter, I am Samuel, Leader of the Legion Corps, and this is Dan Straight, one of the Legion's best warriors. We came here for one purpose: to retrieve that book in your hand."

'_What's with people wanting to steal my stuff?" _Lucy thought incredulously. She was about to make a mad dash for it when Dan Straight popped up behind her.

"Lucy, you and I are destined to be with each other… **MARRY ME!**" everyone, including Samuel, sweatdropped at this man's straightforwardness and stupidity.

"Uhhh, no." Lucy bluntly rejected the man, but he was persistent. Dan kept showering her with compliments and praises, he even began to give her a nickname.

"Dan, we have a job to do." Samuel reminded his ally while facepalming himself

"Of course, of course. I'm sorry Lulu-tan, but I'm gonna have to take that." He swiftly reached out to grab the book, but was stopped by a flame enhanced kick belonging to Hansuke hitting him in the gut.

"Back off man, Lucy's a comrade of ours and we need this book. So if you want it, come and get it." Hansuke taunted his opponent.

"That kick was powerful, but you won't be hit me again since I am prepared."

"_**Hellfire Dragon King's Roar!"**_ Hoping that this will be a quick victory, Hansuke decided to hit hard. He was surprised that when his attack made contact with the shield, it was absorbed and sent back to him. He barely dodged it, but he wasn't able to dodge Lucy's fist that hit him at the back of his head.

"You idiot! You're damaging my old home!" She was mad at him. She wanted to get this place back in the best possible condition, not as a pile of rubble. She was about to scold him even more, but she noticed a gray blur headed to her direction. Thankfully, that gray blur was intercepted by a blue one.

"You're not getting that book… Lucy, you and the rest get away from here. Hansuke and I will hold them off." Then Happy transformed into his _**Battle Form**_ and took on a fighting stance. As he did this, Samuel also transformed into his own _**Battle Form**_. When Happy and Samuel began fighting, Lucy and Michelle ran out of the library.

"We could double that time easily." Gray and Erza spoke in unison. Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armour and Gray began to strip…. Why? Because he claimed that clothes will only get in the way… SUCH LOGIC!

"Help Hansuke, that Dan guy is a bigger threat. I've got Samuel."

"_**Ice Make: Lance"**_ Lances came out of Gray's hands and were headed in Dan's direction, but his shield intercepted it. Using Gray's attack as a distraction, Erza charged the armoured man from behind, only to have her strike blocked and her sword to shrink. Seeing it shrink, Erza flew away and regrouped with her allies while requipping a new sword.

"Heh, you can never defeat me. My shield can repel any magic attack and my lance changes the dimensions of objects to my liking. Let me demonstrate." He tapped a miniscule sword on the ground and it glowed in a green light. A second later, the sword was taking up so much space in the entire room and was embedded on either side. Thankfully, the trio dodged the blade as it was increasing in size, preventing an impalement. Out of nowhere, they were hit a blur of blue and were sent flying towards a bookshelf. It was Happy being thrown towards them, and the collision rendered him, Gray and Hansuke unconscious.

"Dan, we need to finish this. By my calculations, the ladies should be underneath us in a few minutes." Dan proceeded to tap a few books and caused them to fall. As the books increased in size, Erza let out a very audible "_KYAAA!"_ when they hit the mages and ended up making the floor collapse, the rubble landing in front of Lucy and Michelle. Samuel (in his mini form) swoop down, grabbed the book and began to read. A few seconds passed when he threw the book back at Lucy.

"I have no need for that book now for I have memorized it. Dan, let's go."

"I shall see you again Lulu-tan!" Samuel grabbed Dan by the back of his armour and flew away. When the others regained their consciousness, they began to walk back home. When they reached Fairy Tail, Lucy began investigating the book as the others began to carry out their usual business. When Lucy finished, she told the others that they have to retrieve clock parts and bring them together. Agreeing to her plan, they went in groups and began to search for the clock parts.

* * *

_TIME SKIP TO WHEN ANGEL IS ABOUT TO SUMMON BARAKIEL, ONE OF HER ANGELS…. _(**A/N: If you remember the events of the arc, replace Natsu with Hansuke, minus the speeches)**

"Erza, Romeo, I need some fire to eat." Hansuke struggled to get up; he, along with many others, was pretty injured after Racer's attacks. Sensing that he had a plan, she requipped into her Flame Empress Armour and threw a ball of fire, along with Romeo, towards Hansuke. He began to devour the flames and afterwards, he began to channel his magic.

'_My sister is going to tease me endlessly after this…'_ Hansuke glumly thought.

"_**Hellfire Dragon King's Summoning Flame!"**_ He hit the ground with closed fists and a pillar of fire erupted from that area.

***ROOOOOOOOOAR***

All the nearby wizards had different reactions to the roar. Fairy Tail slightly lowered their guard at the thought of a dragon as an ally for their fight. Oracion Seis and the Legion Corps shook in fear, wanting nothing more to find out that the roar was a figment of their imagination.

***THUD***

The flames dissipated and the people present were entreated with the sight of the dragon that taught the Terranos siblings. It looked like and was the same size as Igneel, but it's underbelly was black, it's spikes were white and some parts of its body had orange scales.

"**You better have a really good reason for interrupting your sister's training."** the dragon growled at Hansuke, who pointed at Oracion Seis before collapsing; he was spent after using the summoning spell. The mighty beast turned its head to face the dark mages, causing all them to jump up and panic.

"_**At the cost of of 100, I summon thee. Raguel!"**_ Ten golden coins were thrown into the air and a gigantic white angel with multiple heads appeared.

"Demolish that dragon!" the angel began to charge up it's attack, releasing it moments later.

"_**Poison Dragon Slayer's Roar" **_a torrent of purple escaped his mouth and was headed straight for the red dragon.

"_**Wind and Lightning Unison!**_" Grim Reaper swings his scythe and a black tornado with lightning erupted from it.

"_**Genesis Zero!"**_ Midnight began to mimic Makarov's movements when he casts Fairy Law and when he extended his arms, phantoms spewed out of it.

"OHOHOH! **I'VE GOT A GOOD ONE!** _**Explosion**_!" Explosions erupted at the dragon's body as their attacks got closer to it. All of the Fairy Tail mages were looking at the dragon with worry, except for Hansuke. Suddenly, white, gold, red, orange, and black flames escaped the dragon's mouth and hit the attacks. It overpowered them and went towards the direction of Oracion Seis. Hitting its mark, the cavern shook as an explosion occurred and a dust cloud was formed. When the dust cloud settled, the dark mages were revealed to be unconscious and Jackpot's body was torn; revealing a familiar looking staff, Klodoa. A bright light engulfed Michelle, causing the guild and dragon to look at her. As the light disappeared, a blur of green and yellow headed towards Lucy and Michelle, wielding a sword and shield, was behind her while pressing the sword's blade against Lucy's neck.

"Back off or I will cut her throat." Everyone stopped at their tracks

"Michelle… Why?" Lucy was tearing up, why would the fragile Michelle that she knew do this.

"I am not Michelle.. I am Imitatia, Mistress of Deception."

'_I knew that there was something up with her.'_ Gajeel and Levy thought.

"**Hmph, Begone."** a tendril of white fire erupted from one of its claws and wrapped around Imitatia and began to cocoon her. When the cocoon completely covered her, she tried to escape until suddenly, all her movements ceased. Everyone thought that the dragon killed her, but when the cocoon broke, a small doll was in Imitatia's place.

"**She was never human in the first place. She was a product of Personification Magic.**" Lucy went to the doll, picked it up and smiled. She finally remembered the memories she had with Michelle when she was a child. Clutching the doll close to her chest, she began to quietly cry; many guild members were there to comfort her the moment a tear fell from her face.

"Ughhh. What happened?" Hansuke woke up to a sight of a crying Lucy holding a doll and Oracion Seis members unconscious.

"**I came because you summoned me.**" A deep voice was heard from behind him. He froze in place and slowly turned around to see golden pupils with black slits glaring at him. The young mage was visibly shivering underneath the dragon's gaze. Everyone, save the Legion Corps, was trying to hold back their laughter.

"**Since you interrupted your sister's training, you're going to have to personally go to her and apologize."**

"I understand." Hansuke climbed up on the dragon's back and flashed a look to his friends that said '_Save Me'_ before they were engulfed in flames. When the flames dissipated, the dragon and Hansuke was nowhere to be found.

* * *

_ONE HOUR LATER_

A brawl broke out in Fairy Tail once more, in courtesy of Laxus. Getting annoyed, Erza walked up to the epicentre of the brawl and just as she was about to hit Gray, Gajeel and Laxus in the head, when suddenly….

***THUD***

The guild doors burst open and outside the entrance was the dragon that took out Oracion Seis, Hansuke, who had a black eye, and a woman. The woman had red hair with bits of orange that reached halfway down her back, hazel eyes, a figure that rivals Erza's, a white trenchcoat with golden trimmings over a red shirt, white pants, and black boots. Suddenly, the dragon was engulfed in a bright light and shrunk in size. When the light receded, the dragon was replaced by a man that was taller than the two. The man wore a red short-sleeved hoodie with gold trimmings over a white long-sleeved shirt, black pants, and black boots; the man's hood was up and its shadow was covering up the majority of his face. The guild just gawked at the spectacle and not just the guild, Hansuke and the woman were also surprised. For some unknown reason, no townspeople noticed the dragon in front of the guild building.

"Is this the guild you joined?" the woman asked Hansuke.

"Yes, sister." he answered with a proud smile.

"They seem nice." Hansuke's sister let out a small smile. Makarov and Erza then walked up to the trio to meet them.

"Hello! My name is Makarov Dreyar and I am the master of this guild. This is Erza Scarlet, one of the most powerful mages in our guild. How may we help you?"

"We came here for two reasons: Maria here would like to join your guild and I have something to say to your guild."

"Very well, come with us and we can have both arranged." The small group followed Makarov and Erza to the bar where Mira was waiting for them with a guild stamp in hand.

"Hello, my name is Mirajane.. Where would you like your guild stamp and what colour?"

"I would like mine on my left forearm and I would like it to be red with an orange outline, please." Moments later, Maria received her guild mark and everyone was congratulating her.

"Who knew that Hansuke had such a hot sister?" Wakaba whispered to Macao, who simply nodded in agreement. Unfortunately for them, Maria heard every word thanks to her enhanced hearing.

"**PERVERTS!**" Maria roundhoused kick the two, who went flying and hit a nearby table. This caused the guild to erupt in another Fairy Tail brawl, with Erza, Hansuke and Maria participating.

"Hehehe, she'll fit in just fine. Now, about your announcement." Makarov looked at the dragon-man with studying eyes.

"Of course," he cleared his throat. "**LISTEN UP!**" the guild froze and looked at the hooded stranger.

'_Why does he smell and sound so familiar?'_ was the thought that plagued the minds of Gajeel, Laxus and Levy.

"I have two sets of news to give you. First off, I am a representative of the dragon council and I am here to warn you that in the future, a war may occur between dragons and humans."

"How do you know that?" Romeo asked.

"I personally didn't discover this information. It was given to me by the Dragonseer." the man calmly answered.

"What is that?" Bixlow voiced everyone's thoughts.

"Not a what, but a who. The Dragonseer is a dragon that can see into the future, but through a few distorted images and scenes."

"Just like you Carla." Wendy quietly spoke to her exceed partner.

"Why did you tell us first and not the magic council or another guild?" Erza asked, curious about the man.

"That leads me to my second set of news, Erza." the man pulled down his hood and the first thing everyone noticed was the hair colour of the man. Pink. Just like Natsu's. The entire guild was deathly silent because Natsu was dead, unless someone else had pink hair or…

"That's right everyone… **I'M BAAACK!**" the man yelled at his comrades; his eyes, which were gold with black slits, were shining with happiness.

"N-N-Natsu?" the guild asked in unison, save Maria.

"Yep." Natsu nodded, which caused a variety of reactions. Most of the guild just looked at him, shell-shocked. Others such as Mira, Lisanna and Lucy were crying. Three people fainted, they were Erza, Happy and….. Makarov. He was muttering something about empty pockets in his unconscious state. Natsu simply chuckled at his comrades' antics.

"It's good to back." He softly spoke to himself.

* * *

**A/N: _NATSU'S BACK! I KNOW THAT MANY OF YOU SUGGESTED THAT HE CAME BACK AS A DEMON OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE. HOWEVER, I DIDN'T DO IT FOR TWO REASONS. ONE, I AM CLUELESS WHEN IT COMES TO THE TARTARUS AND THE DEMONS AND TWO, I ALREADY HAD THIS PLANNED FROM THE START. ANYWAYS GUYS, FOLLOW, FAVOURITE, AND/OR REVIEW IF YOU LIKE IT. BTW, I NEED SOME CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND I'LL PUBLISH A NEW CHAPTER WHEN I CAN._**


	6. Two Sides of A 7 Year Journey

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts_'

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING**"

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking**"

Soft Sound: *_Soft Sound_*

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

Natsu began to walk towards the unconscious bodies of Erza and Happy. He picked up Happy and put him on his head, stomach down, and then picked up Erza bridal style and made his way to the guild's infirmary. As he made his way to the infirmary, the guild just stared at him in disbelief and were frozen on the spot. He put the both of them on a bed and smiled at them lovingly, he remained silent until he felt a presence behind him.

"I see that you're awake, Master."

'_Did he just call me Master instead of gramps?_' the old master was in wonder, though his body never showed it.

"Why are you surprised that I called you Master?"

"How did you know that I was surprised?" Makarov was curious for an explanation.

"Your heartbeat picked up right after I said it." Natsu deadpanned and turned around, letting Makarov study him. Over the years, Natsu has went through a few changes. For one, his hair is a bit longer, yet its still as spiky as usual. His eyes, as mentioned in the previous chapter, was now gold with black slits instead of the onyx colour that everyone was accustomed to; he also has a scar on his right eye. He has also gotten quite taller, roughly the size of Laxus now; but his build is questionable since his clothing is fairly loose. Much to his chagrin, Natsu's signature grin wasn't on his face, only a straight face that reminded him of Erza seven years ago. His ever present aura of joy was replaced with an aura of seriousness, determination and power. Speaking of power, Makarov felt that his seemed to have increased tenfold, easily surpassing his own.

"Master, I have to take my leave before everyone beats me within an inch of my life." this earned Natsu a chuckle from Makarov. "A minute from now, may you wake up Happy? I have some catching up to do with him. If he asks where I'll be, just tell him that I will be at our favourite spot"

Makarov gave him an understanding nod before Natsu disappeared in a small pillar of fire. A minute later, Makarov pulled out a 30 inch pike and brought the fish near the sleeping exceed's nose. The effects of this method were instantaneous.

"**FIIIIIIIIISSSSSSHH!**" the small creature jumped up and took the fish out of Makarov's hand rather forcefully. He began to nibble on the fish and when all that was left were bones, Happy finally realized his surroundings.

"Why am I in the infirmary?"

"Natsu brought you and Erza here after you fainted." Makarov explained while Happy remained silent. "He told me that you should go to a favourite spot that you shared to catch up on some things." Happy nodded, activated his Aera and flew out of the window towards where he and Natsu were to meet. Minutes later, he sees Natsu sitting down near the edge of a river with fishing poles in his hands

"I wonder why Happy is taking forever to get here." Natsu thought out loud. He stood up and turned around, he was about to personally look for Happy until he was hit by the one he was looking for while going in Max Speed. They both went flying into the river and when they resurfaced, Happy was hugging Natsu tightly with tears going down his face. After a few minutes of crying, they went to the shore and began to fish; an activity that Happy missed doing with his figurative father.

"Hey Happy, how was life at Fairy Tail for the past 7 years?" Natsu asked.

"It was unpredictable, to say the least. On some days, we were so noisy and obnoxious that the mayor had to ask other guilds to calm us down." This caused Natsu to laugh a little. "On others it's so quiet that even Mystogan would have been begging for a conversation."

"I see, you guys have been trying to act normal since my death." Happy nodded with a sad look on his face. "I'm sorry that I have caused so much pain and sadness. I just did what I think was right."

"It's ok, Natsu… We knew that you were only trying to protect us then, and we were grateful. If only you survived, then the guild would have been - **I'VE GOT A BITE!**-" Happy began to forcefully pull on his pole, but the fish that he caught is putting up a good fight. While this was happening, Natsu was cheering on Happy.

"Come on, Happy you can do it! What happened to the Happy I knew that never lost to a fish?!" A moment later, Happy was engulfed in a bright light.

"**I WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU!_ Battle Form!_**" Happy transformed into a muscular human-cat hybrid and with one mighty pull, caught the fish, which was over 100 inches long and was covered in rainbow coloured scales.

"Nice job, Happy!" Natsu was grinning widely at Happy, who reverted back to his cat form. "When and where did you learn magic?"

"Aye! Now we've got a nice meal for lunch." they began to collect firewood, make a pyramid out of it and afterwards, Natsu ignited the pyramid of sticks so that they can cook the pieces of fish they caught, which was cut by Happy. Together, they ate their lunch peacefully. "To anshwer your qweshtion Natshu, I -"

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Natsu lightly scolded Happy in a fatherly tone. Happy nodded sheepishly and swallowed his fish before speaking again.

"As I was saying... To answer your question Natsu, I learned _**Battle Form**_ from Pantherlily and I learned _**Requip**_ from Erza about two years ago, when everyone in Fairy Tail took a training trip." He bit another part of the fish and began to chew heartily.

"I see. Besides that, did anything interesting happen in the past seven years?" Happy swallowed a piece of fish before answering.

"Actually, a lot of things did. Gray, Cana, Elfman, Wendy, Juvia, and Gajeel became S-class mages. Also Jellal broke out of jail - " Happy saw Natsu wince a bit at the mentioning of Jellal's name. "and formed an independent guild called Crime Socriere. There are only 3 members: Jellal, Ultear and Meredy, but they have been wiping out dark guilds left and right. The most interesting that happened while you were gone happened about a year ago, a guild called Sabertooth challenged us to partake in an event called the Grand Magic Games -"

"Sorry for interrupting, but what's that?"

'_He has gotten polite… Wasn't expecting that._' Happy looked at him with wide eyes before answering. "The Grand Magic Games is a tournament where wizards from various guilds compete to prove that their guild is the strongest. Fairy Tail never competed in the games since we thought it was a huge waste of time. That is until those Sabertooth punks pushed the big red button."

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

Fairy Tail's mighty guild doors slammed open to reveal 5 people standing in their doorway. They were Sting Eucliffe, Rogue Cheney, Minerva Orlando, Orga Nanagear, and Rufus Lore; each one of them were mages representing Sabertooth in the upcoming Grand Magic walked in arrogantly to the centre of the guild hall.

"So this is Fairy Tail.." Minerva observed, "I never knew that the strongest guild in Fiore was filled with weaklings." Her guildmates laughed but she wasn't pleased. She hoped to get a reaction from the guild but much to her dismay, they chose to ignore her.

"Ahem…" the Sabertooth mages turned to the small body of Makarov Dreyar. "May I ask why you are here instead of training?"

"Hmph, we decided to take a break and besides the other guilds are weak compared to us." Orga stated with a smug look on his face.

"I still see no reason for you to come into our guild and attempt to hammer us with verbal insults."

"We also came to invite you to the games… I have no memory of Fairy Tail ever participating ever since the games were first held."

"Fairy Tail has its reasons why it doesn't participate."

"Aww, come on. Everybody knows that you're still crying about that weakling of a dragon slayer named Natsu Dragneel." All the commotion in the guild stopped and everyone looked at the owner of the voice, Sting Eucliffe.

"Excuse me, what were you saying about Natsu Dragneel?" Makarov furious at the moment and his tone of voice made it evident, but Sting paid no heed to it.

"You must be losing your hearing old man. Meh, probably comes with getting old. About Natsu Dragneel, let me repeat my self…. He.. Was.. A.. Weakling.." As soon as the last word escaped his mouth, the sound of glass and wood breaking was heard all throughout the guild. The Sabertooth mages diverted their gaze to the noises and nearly pissed themselves at what they saw. All the Fairy Tail mages were covered in an aura that was manifested through their anger at the 5 intruders. A scraping sound against the floor accompanied by heavy footsteps was heard from behind them. They turned around to see Erza Scarlet, her hair covering her eyes, armed with the Benisakura (Demon Blade Crimson Sakura) walking towards them.

"Are you implying that Natsu Dragneel, the sole human being that wounded Acnologia, is weak?" She spoke in a monotonous tone that scared the male mages of Sabertooth.

"Are you saying that a person who single handedly defeated a wizard saint is weak?" Erza began to raise her voice and Fairy Tail was slowly moving towards the centre of the guild hall in order to surround Sting and Company.

"**SO THE PERSON WHO HAS SAVED FIORE MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE ON THE VERGE OF DEATH'S DOORS IS A WEAKLING! IF ANYONE IS WEAK, IT'S YOU!**" Erza looked up, he eyes full of rage and swung her sword downwards, embedding into the ground and created a small shockwave that ruffled everyone's hair. The Sabertooth mages were now surrounded by furious Fairy Tail wizards and were visibly shaking at the suffocating magical pressure this guild was emanating. "**HOW DARE YOU CALL HIM WEAK!"**

"We accept your invitation.. But don't expect mercy from us from here on out. " Gildarts glared at them. "Now leave, before my patience runs out and I'll have to personally drag your near lifeless bodies back to your guild hall." They hastily went out the doors and ran to the nearest train station while the townsfolk were shaking their heads at them for angering Fairy Tail.

Inside Fairy Tail, everyone has calmed down, but Erza was still seething with anger. She abruptly left the building before anyone could stop her. The knightess needed to funnel her anger at something quickly before she could hurt anyone. When she arrived at the nearby forest, she requipped into her Flame Empress Armour and began to shoot large fireballs into the sky. A few hours later, she was limping to Natsu's house and was on the verge of unconsciousness. Opening the door, she entered his old home, collapsed on the floor and blacked out.

The next day, Erza woke up on a bed in her room and this confused her. She clearly remembered that she collapsed on the floor and before she could think about what could have happened, the door to her room opened.

"Good, you're awake Erza." the small figure of Happy was smiling at her while holding a half-eaten fish.

"Happy, did you put me here?" She got a nod from Happy.

"Let's go Erza, we're kind of late for a guild meeting regarding the tournament." Getting up, she changed her clothes and went to the guild. Everyone present was tense and itching for a fight against Sabertooth.

"Good, we're all here. Now onto business, we need to form a team of five for the tournament and I have made a decision on who will be participating. The follow wizards please step forward: Gildarts Clive, Laxus Dreyar, Erza Scarlet, Mirajane Strauss and Gray Fullbuster." Said mages approached Makarov. "You have a few months to train, so make everyday count. We'll show those Sabertooth peasants that messing with Fairy Tail and desecrating Natsu's name and honour was the greatest mistake they have ever made." The nodded in approval and walked towards the exit to begin packing.

"_ONWARDS TO VICTORY!_" Gray yelled at the top of his lungs and raised his hand to form the Fairy Tail hand gesture; and with a smile on their faces, everyone followed suite.

_FLASHBACK END_

* * *

"After that they left and began training. Months later, they arrived and Makarov told us that their magical strength doubled. Then came the day of the tournament, boy was it fun."

"How so?"

"hehehehe. What do you get if five S-class mages participate in a tournament?" A sadistic smile grew on Happy's face.

"Gee, Happy… You tell me." the smile was creeping Natsu out.

"Total domination… We won every single event and battle. The best part was that everytime a Sabertooth mage was in sight, those guys went berserk."

"I see…" Natsu's face paled at the thought of that happening to him. "We should go back, Happy. I think that the others are starting to look for us."

"Aye!" They doused the fire and began to walk back to the guild. Surprisingly, everyone seemed to have not yet recovered from the shock that he is still alive. The only ones who weren't frozen in place were Maria, Hansuke, and Makarov; all three were at the bar drinking beverages of their choices ,which happened to be ale.

"Hansuke, Maria…" Natsu spoke in a menacing tone that seemed alien to Makarov, who also noticed that the two were frozen while shaking and sweating profusely. "What did I say about consuming alcohol?" In an instant, the two were on their knees and bowing at Natsu.

"We're sorry! Please don't punish us!" This brought a large portion of the guild out of their shock, while surprising Makarov.

"Punish?" Freed spoke to Evergreen. "I thought Natsu was the kind of guy who received it, not the one who gave it." this earned him a collection of nods from those who weren't in shock; which included, but are not limited to, the Raijinshuu, Laxus, Gray, Mira, Gildarts, Gajeel, Juvia and Elfman.

"Who knew that someone would bow to that guy. I never thought that in a million years that this would happen." Laxus sneered.

"And why is that, my friends?" they jumped up and turned around to see Natsu with his hands in his pockets looking at them with a blank face. They turned around again and only saw the siblings still kneeling in a bowing position.

'_So fast..._' they thought in unison.

"I asked a question, and I think one usually receives an answer."

"Well, uh, erm… It's just that seven years ago, you were the childish Natsu that we all grew accustomed to and loved. Seeing you maturing is kind of new to us and it might take us some time to get used to." the others nodded in agreement to Mira's answer.

"I understand.. If you may, can you help me bring the others out of their shock? I have the feeling that all of you are either filled with questions for me, itching for a fight against me, or just out for my blood…. That all can be arranged later." Gray, Gajeel and Laxus huffed in annoyance as everyone dispersed and began to bring everyone out of shock. Natsu just walked up to the bowing siblings and motioned them to stand up.

"I won't punish you two because I know that you two were excited about the mysteries of alcohol and were curious. I understand that, just don't attempt to consume it again. Your guild mates may be alcoholics, especially Cana Alberona, but don't let that sway you into become one." Natsu lectured them as if they were children "It's also because I'm in a really good mood today, so don't ruin it." Makarov just facepalmed at his comment, but he was proud that Natsu has matured quite a lot over the years.

"But Natsu, I thought that dragon slayers were immune to alcohol. Why would you stop us from drinking something that we are immune to?" Maria asked.

"Whoever told you that gave you some inaccurate information. We dragon slayers aren't immune to alcohol, we just have a high resistance to it. We get drunk twenty times slower than a normal drinker; it gives us an image of immunity, but it isn't the truth."

"And you, Master." Natsu shot a glare at Makarov, who spit out all his ale and was shaking under his gaze. "Please don't corrupt my students into drinking alcohol or smoking…. or else. And that goes for all of you, do you understand?"

"Aye Sir!" they all frightfully answered back. A few minutes later, all mages were now out of their shock and eager to either ask Natsu some questions, fight Natsu, or beat Natsu into an unrecognizable pulp. All but one that is. Erza Scarlet was still unconscious from her faint and Natsu noticed this.

"Mira, one slice of strawberry cheesecake, please." Mira jumped at his polite behaviour.

"One moment please." She went behind the bar and returned with Natsu's order. He took it and went to the infirmary, where Erza was still unconscious. Sitting down beside her, he put the cake near her nose and was disappointed that she didn't react to it as expected. Natsu sets the cake down on a table and stood up.

"Erza, wake up please." they young man said while gently shaking her. To his relief, her eyes slowly opened and when she saw him, she began to tear up. Erza immediately jumped up to hug Natsu while crying noisily on his chest. As if on instinct, Natsu hugged her tighter, causing Erza to cry more.

"Finally.._*sob*_. You're back…_*sob*_. You have no idea…_*sob*_. How much I missed you.." He rested his head on hers and kissed her hair.

"I could say the same thing to you.." His soft reply caused Erza looked up and she saw a few tears escape his golden eyes. He wiped her tears away and she did the same to him; the both of them stayed in their arms, enjoying each other's company, for a few minutes. After finally calming down, the both of them stood up and looked at each other.

"Erza, I have something to say to you."

"Natsu, I have something to say to you." They spoke at the same time and caused them to laugh a bit. "You go first Natsu."

"No, Erza. You go first, I have this feeling that yours might be more important than mine." Erza stared at him, totally not expecting his gentlemanly action. She snapped out of her shock and prepared to tell him something that she wanted to say a long time ago.

"Natsu… Forgive me for my straight forwardness, but….. I love you, I always have ever since you joined Fairy Tail. And I'm sorry for all of the things I have done to you." Her voice cracked at her last statement. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I know that you feel the same way, Happy told us the day you died. I also know why you haven't confessed yet and let me tell you this, Jellal is only a good friend to me, nothing more. Just as Lucy and Lisanna are good friends to you. But, I feel like I don't deserve your love, after all of the pain you received from me. So why do you love me so much?" She was again on the verge of tears But when Natsu gave her his trademark grin and hugged her, she closed her eyes and put her head against his chest.

"If anyone is undeserving of someone else's love, it's me." Erza looked up in surprise. "You were always a strong willed, intelligent and powerful woman. When I was young, I felt inferior to you and that's one of the reason why I kept challenging you, I wanted to prove that I was your equal. But no matter how many times I tried, I couldn't get to your level; and so I gave up on becoming your equal, resorting to fighting as a means of interaction.

"That was until the Tower of Heaven, seeing you cry made something in me snap which in turn caused me to enter Dragon Force. When you tried to sacrifice yourself, I was heartbroken and I did everything in my power to get you back, and succeeded. My feelings grew even more since that day until the Nirvana incident. I think you know what happened after seeing you cry over Jellal." Erza gave Natsu a nod with a guilty look on her face.

"I have never felt so horrible in my life. The things you can hide underneath a smile are amazing, you know. I hid my real feelings behind that mask until Acnologia came, I found an opportunity to save you and to prove that I loved you with all my heart. In fact the last image I saw before I died was your smiling face. And for two weeks, I was truly dead, until a miracle occurred."

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

'_How long have I been walking around?_' A pink haired soul wandered aimlessly through a vast white, and empty void. He was brought out of his thoughts by a bright light appearing in front of him. When the light receded, an armoured entity with a human structure was there. The being wore a golden armour with silver edges and intricate engravings, a long white sash that started from his collarbone and was dangling in between his legs, leather gloves and a white hood that hid his entire face. In his hands was a 3 foot sword with a golden pommel, grip and guard; at the centre of the guard and pommel were blue circular orbs that radiated with blue energy. The blade was 2 feet long and pure white in colour. The most distinguishing feature of this being was that on his back were wings. Unlike bird's wings, this being's wings weren't feathered instead they were made out of light blue tendrils of light. (**A/N: Yes, my fellow readers, I put Tyrael (Diablo Character) into my fanfic… Just his character design though! Please don't hate me**)

"Who are you." The boy asked, clearly scared of the being in front of him.. His eyes widened when it began to laugh heartily.

"**There is no need to be scared, boy. I won't hurt you, that is if you don't attack me. And to answer your question, I am Agamemnon and I am the one who created the humans, dragons and demons.**"

"What do you want from me?"

"**That is simple, Natsu Dragneel. I need a representative to act as a peacekeeper between the 3 races I created.**"

"Why can't you do it yourself?" Natsu was kind of annoyed at this point. Agamemnon just let out another laugh.

"**It's because I can't enter your world without causing this one to collapse.**"

"Why me?"

"**Because you have a major influence to all three races. You were created as a demon by Zeref, raised by a dragon, and lived with humans for 7 years. I wouldn't be surprised if each one of those races hold you in high regard.**"

"I-I-I'm a demon?!" He was shaking at this point, he couldn't properly process the fact that he was a demon. Agamemnon noticed this.

"**Yes, boy. But don't let that sway your view of things. Your love for humans and dragons is unfathomable, especially to Erza Scarlet.**" Natsu blushed, causing Agamemnon to laugh again. "**So I have a proposal for you. I will give you a second chance in life, if you accept to be my representative until the day you die.**" Natsu thought for a minute before nodding his head in agreement. Agamemnon held out his hand and Natsu shook it, causing the both of them to be engulfed in a bright light. When the light died down, Natsu noticed that he was in a familiar looking place.

"Am I in - " Before he could finish his sentence, he was thrown a good 3 miles away from where he stood by an unseen object. When he landed, he saw the one person he was looking for.

"**IGNEEL!**" Natsu jumped and hugged Igneel's face with tears falling down his cheeks. The dragon remained silent, albeit very happy that his foster son was alive….. Wait.

"**Natsu, explain yourself.. Why are you alive and not dead?**" His son spent the next hour telling him everything that occurred in that alternate dimension. When Natsu finished, Igneel gave him a knowing nod. "**Since you are going to be a peacekeeper for the 3 races, I want 2 things to happen. One, I want you to learn multiple dragon slayer forms, specifically Dragon King Slayer; I will not tolerate having a weak peacekeeper. Two, I want you to represent the dragons when your human council comes together for meetings.**"

"For sure Igneel.. So, when does the training start?"

_FLASHBACK END_

* * *

"For the next 5 Earthland years, I trained ceaselessly and managed to learn over 12 different dragon slayer forms and all of them are Dragon King/Queen Slayer forms. Also, I learned a technique called Form Morph, I could transform into either a dragon, human or demon on command. Then I spent 2 years training Hansuke and Maria before finally coming here." Erza stood there shell shocked at Natsu's tale (he kind of omitted the part about Erza, he's still a little shy when it comes to loving her). Moments later, she recovered.

"That's nice to know about what you did for the past 7 years, Natsu. But how is this relevant to you loving me?"

"That's simple, I grew stronger to protect everyone, but mostly to protect you." Erza's breath hitched. "You were the main reason I endured 5 Earthland years of vigorous dragon training because I couldn't forgive myself if you died due to me being weak." Natsu walked closer to her and lifted her chin, making her look at his eyes.

"And let me tell you this: I would gladly give up my life for you with no hesitation because you are the one who I will eternally love, even after death." Erza's composure crumbled and her eyes teared up once more. But these weren't tears of sadness, these were tears of joy. With one hand, she grabbed the back of Natsu's head and mashed her lips into his. Natsu stood there for a second before returning the kiss with equal passion and vigor. Before long, they had to part for air and when they did, wide smiles were plastered on their faces.

"I guess that makes us official." Erza joked, and the both of them shared a laugh before moving towards the door. "Natsu, can you please initiate the second stage of the dragon's mark? I have been waiting for 7 years, you know."

"Anything for you Erza, but not now. I have a guild to talk to."


	7. Natsu Dragneel VS Fairy Tail

A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: 'Thoughts'

Spells: "Spells"

Yelling: "YELLING"

Non-human being speaking: "Speaking"

Soft Sound: *Soft Sound*

Loud Sound: *Loud Sound*

* * *

The both of them exited the infirmary while holding hands. All guild members had knowing looks on their faces.

"So…." Mira leaned towards the couple, along with the entire guild, although they expected what the two were going to say.

"Yes.. We're together." Erza spoke with a Natsu-like grin on her face. Everyone jumped up and began to cheer for them. The men went to Natsu to congratulate him via pats on the back and fist bumps. The women, on the other hand, tore Erza from Natsu and began to hug the life out of her. The only person that wasn't in the little celebration was Maria, probably because she didn't know what the big deal is. Looking to her right, she saw Makarov with a fatherly smile on his face.

"Master Makarov," the wizard saint turned to face Maria. "I'm sorry for asking, but why is the guild overreacting about them being a couple?"

"There are two reasons for that, my dear. First of all, we Fairy Tail wizards have an unnatural tendency to find a reason to celebrate over very little things. Secondly, it's because of an incident 7 years ago." Makarov's smile dropped as the memories began to flood his mind. "During our yearly S-class exams, Natsu, the man who taught you, died saving us from Acnologia, the Dragon of the Apocalypse and former Dragon King. On that day, Erza confessed her feelings for him to the present members of the guild and Happy told us that Natsu felt the same way for her.

"For 7 years, Erza has lived with the guilt of never telling him how she felt. And then, when Natsu returned, she finally overcame that guilt and mustered up the courage to tell him. Everyone here knows what Erza has been through during the past 7 years. We're overreacting because we are happy for her. Now, my dear, does that answer your question." Maria nodded and faced the crowd, who were playfully tossing Natsu in the air. When the commotion died down, Natsu was immediately bombarded with questions; the most common being: "Where have you been for the past 7 years?"

Natsu answered this question by telling everyone what he told Erza previously.(A/N: Forgot to mention this, but Natsu omitted the part about him being a demon created by Zeref when telling his tale to Erza and the guild so that they won't panic) At the end of his tale, everyone except Erza stood there with their jaws hanging open. As they stood there, Erza had a little epiphany and began to walk towards the Terannos siblings.

"Hansuke, Maria…" they shook their heads, breaking out of the shock. "During the 2 years he trained you two, what was he doing?" She gave them a moment to think, an action that betrays everyone's past memories of her being impatient.

"Most of the time, he just looks at us, studying our progress. Sometimes, he just sits there, doing nothing." Maria answered, and as soon as she finished answering, Erza was engulfed in a menacing aura. She began to walk to Natsu, who was talking to Wendy about Grandeeney.

"Naatsuu~" Erza spoke in a sing-song voice that caused him to turn around. What he saw made his heart stop: Erza was clad in the Purgatory Armour while wielding two spiky maces, and the creepiest part of the image was that she was giving him a sweet smile that rivaled Mira's. "Why didn't you write a letter or two to us during your 2 year teaching session with Hansuke and Maria."

"Hehe.. Well, you see.. I was really busy at the time…. I'm sorry for not being able to do so." He gave her a nervous smile as he was sweating profusely at the moment.

"That's funny, your students told me the exact opposite." Natsu's eyes grew wide. "Therefore you must be punished for two things: not writing to us, and lying to me." She lifted a mace into the air, prepared to strike him down. At the same time, memories of her beating him half to death resurfaced in his mind, and caused him to instinctively try to run away. Unfortunately, he couldn't because his feet were frozen thanks to a smirking Gray Fullbuster.

"Enjoy your punishment."

"Happy, HELP ME!" Natsu looked towards Happy, only to see his figurative son placing bets on him surviving Erza's punishment with no injuries.

"Sorry Natsu, no can do. I can't get in the way of Erza's punishment, so I'm gonna need you to persevere so that I - I mean we can - win ourselves some money." Happy said with an innocent grin of his face, Natsu's eyes only widened even further.

"TRAITOR!" For the next hour, the only thing that was heard in Fairy Tail's guild building were Natsu's screams of pain and laughter from the rest of the guild. When Erza was finished, Natsu was a smoking wreck and his eyes were devoid of pupils. Happy flew beside him, wearing a referee's hat and a striped tee.

"1…...2….3….4…." Happy began the countdown. Everyone was at the edge of their seats, anxious for the countdown to end before Natsu could stand up. "8…...9….10…..IT'S OVER! NATSU DRAGNEEL IS UNABLE TO FIGHT, THE TITLE GOES TO ERZA SCARLET!" He yelled, jumping into the air while holding a championship belt. The guild began to cheer for Erza as she picked him up.

"Sorry, for that… Please hit me as a sign of forgiveness." Natsu and the guild sweatdropped at Erza as she bowed.

"It's alright, I kind of deserved it." She stood up, hugged him and began to walk away. 'Same old Erza.'

"Darn it Natsu!" Natsu looked towards Happy, who was giving Pantherlily a small pouch of jewels. "You made me lose the bet! Now where will I get the money to buy myself some fish?"

"You know, you can always go fishing with me instead of buying." Natsu deadpanned.

"Oh, yeah! I completely forgot about that." Happy laughed while scratching his head. Natsu fell to the ground twitching while the entire guild sweatdropped. Hansuke approached a twitching Natsu in order to ask him a question that has been bothering him for a while.

"Hey Natsu-sama, since you're not a real dragon, what generation of dragon slayers are we?" Hansuke asked. Natsu immediately jumped up and dusted himself before answering Hansuke.

"I believe you would be Fourth Generation Dragon Slayers since another dragon slayer taught you." Content with his answer, Hansuke nodded.

"Oi, Flame-brain! Fight me, even with 5 years worth of dragon training, I can still wipe the floor with you." Gray yelled at him, at point-blank range, while stripping.

"First of all Gray, you're a grown man.. Why are you still using such childish nicknames?"

'This jump in maturity is going to take a while to get used to.' The entire guild thought in unison.

"Second, I said that I trained for 5 Earthland years. Where I went, time was flowing in a different pace. Finally, put on some clothes"

"How so, Natsu?" Gildarts asked, totally oblivious to Gray searching for his clothes while being scolded by Maria and Carla.

"I trained in the Dragonrealm.." This statement earned him a gasp from the dragonslayers. "In there, 1 year would have been equivalent to 2 months in Earthland." Once again, the guild's jaws dropped to the floor and this time, Erza was included.

"So if your time training there is equivalent to 5 years here…" Mira began to do the math in her head. When she got the answer, her eyes went wide. "YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINING FOR 30 YEARS STRAIGHT?!"

"Exactly." Natsu smiled.

"WHHAAAAAT?!" Everyone began to stare at him with a variety of emotion. Some with envy, others with worry, and most of them with shock.

'That explains his massive boost in magical power. Training for 30 years straight can do wonders to a mage's body.' Makarov thought.

"Wait a minute…" Cana put down her mug. "If you trained there for 30 years, why do you look like you only aged for 7 years?"

"Well Cana, it's because even though time flows much slower there, my body's rate of aging is still the same. I have tried to figure it out, but I never got an answer." Cana gave him an understanding nod.

"Pfft.. Doesn't matter, I can still beat you." Natsu sighed and looked at Gray with a sad look on his face.

"Fine, I'll fight you." An uproar immediately followed.

"HEY, HOW COME HE GETS TO FIGHT YOU SALAMANDER? AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?" Gajeel was pissed at Natsu.

"YEAH, WHAT THE HELL! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO FIGHT A WEAKLING LIKE GRAY!" Laxus ignored the loud "Hey!" from Gray. "YOU SHOULD BE FIGHTING ME!" Everyone began to yell at Natsu for not picking them to be his opponent. Even a dragon can lose it's patience.

"ALRIGHT, SHUT UP!" Natsu bellowed in a large voice that easily overpowered everyone's yelling when due to its sheer volume. He then took a deep breath to calm down. "I'll fight all of you, okay? But not in here." Quickly adding in the last part when he saw everyone prepare their spells.

"Where should we fight?" Hansuke asked, he was eager to fight Natsu in order for him to show his strength. He received his answer when Natsu engulfed everyone in flames and when the flames died out, they were in a large clearing in a forest.

"Natsu….." Natsu turned to face Makarov. "Gildarts and I will not be partaking in this fight. So let us move out of the way before starting." Natsu nodded as Makarov and Gildarts began to walk towards the side. When they reached their destination, Makarov motioned Freed to place runes to protect them from the attacks.

"Now we can -" Natsu was prevented from speaking any further when he saw tendrils of ice heading towards him. He quickly jumped to the side, only to barely dodge a Thunder Dragon's Breakdown Fist from Laxus.

"What the hell you two!"

"What, you never said that it had to be one-on-one. Gehehehe." Natsu disappeared in a pillar of flame just as Gajeel was about to unleash his Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs.

"So be it." the cold voice of Natsu was heard, and yet they couldn't see him.

"Earth Dragon King's Burrowing Strike" A rock-encrusted fist belonging to Natsu burst from the ground and hit Laxus in the jaw. Laxus was sent flying and before he could hit the ground, he used his Lightning Form to charge towards Natsu. Using Laxus as a distraction, Gray used his Ice Make Cannon spell to shoot a cannonball at Natsu's back. Follow his lead, Gajeel, Levy, Lucy, Wendy, Juvia and Mira launched long-range attacks towards Natsu.

"Iron Dragon' Lance: Demon Logs!"

"O gate of the Scorpion, I open Thee. Scorpio!" Scorpio was summoned and he immediately used Sand Buster.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Water Nebula!"

"Evil Explosion!" What Natsu did at the moment, was needless to say surprising. He stood there, not moving, as he glowed in a white light and when the attacks hit, a large explosion and dust cloud were produced. Everyone had a triumphant grin on their face, but was replaced by a look of surprise when Natsu emerged from the dust cloud and knocked Laxus unconscious in one hit. At the moment, Natsu was covered in swirl patterned circular scales while a red aura surrounds him.

"Adamantine Dragon King's Scales….. Impenetrable to anything but powerful dragonslayer attacks… Hellfire King's Drive….I hit you, and you get hurt a lot." Natsu calmly explained himself with a straight face. "One down, and a lot more to go."

"Lightning Dragon King's Static Pulse!" A large sphere of lightning emerged from Natsu's body and was increasing in size in an alarming rate. Thinking fast, Erza requipped to her Lightning Empress Armour while everyone else hardened their defenses. When they were englulfed by the sphere, everyone was shocked (A/N: No pun intended) that it didn't affect them at all.

"Ha! That attack didn't do anything to us! What are you trying to do Natsu, tickle us?" They all shared a laugh at Gray's little taunt.

"Before you start taunting me, look at your surroundings." Confused, they began to look around and they saw Gajeel, Levy and Juvia were unconscious.

'I see, he is taking out his opponents in a systematic manner based off of threat and their weaknesses.' Erza thought. Her eyes widened when Natsu disappeared, only to reappear behind Wendy.

"WENDY!" Said mage turned around, only to feel something hit her stomach with a powerful force. She fell to her knees and looked at Natsu before blacking out. The Strauss siblings jumped up from behind him and were about to hit him if it wasn't for a dome of green fire appearing and engulfing them. Moments later, the fire disappeared to reveal the three of them fighting unconsciousness.

"How?" Lisanna's weak voice asked before succumbing to unconsciousness along with her siblings.

"Spirit Fire Dragon King's Siphoning Barrier. Anyone caught in it gets their magic drained to the point of exhaustion."

'Why isn't he using it to the end the fight quickly." Gildarts thought.

"Ice Make: Saucer" A small disk began to fly towards Natsu in a high speed before being caught by Natsu with one hand. Surprisingly, he began to eat it and the more powerful members felt his magic level increase a bit.

"Thanks for the meal Gray. Fire Dragon King's Roar." Gray was hit by a stream of white hot fire and was immediately knocked unconscious.

"Dark Ecriture: Blindness!" Runes flew out of Freed's sword and surprisingly hit Natsu. "Dark Ecriture: Deafness! Dark Ecriture: Anosmia!" More runes flew out of his sword and hit Natsu.

"We should attack now, He can't see, hear or smell us." The others nodded in reply and began throw everything they've got at Natsu.

"Regulus Impact!"

"Hellfire Dragon King's Roar"

"Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen's Roar!"

"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!"

"Baryon Formation!"

"Dark Ecriture: Darkness." Freed transforms into a demonic being. "Darkness Breath"

"Card Magic: Summoned Lightning!"

"Sand Slash!"

"Blue Fireball!"

"Purple Beam!"

"Smoke Crush!"

"Blumenblatt!"

"Guns Magic: Omnidirectional Expansion!"

Another gigantic explosion rocked the forest as the Fairy Tail mages stood there with worry. They began to walk towards the explosion's epicentre and saw that no one was there.

"What?! Do you think he dodged it?" Max asked an equally confused Cana.

"I dunno."

"GAHH" They turned around to see Freed on the ground beside a barefoot Natsu with his eyes closed.

"Tch, the runes didn't wear out yet." They were about to ask how he was able to dodge the attack but were stopped when he burst forward and kicked Evergreen, sending her flying into a tree. Erza requipped into her Purgatory Armour and swung her mace at Natsu, only for him to dodge it and hit Lucy. He jumped away significant distance away from the crowd just as they were about to hit him again.

"Roar of 4 Fire Dragon Kings!" A stream of green, white, gold, orange, red,and black flames flew out of his mouth towards the guild. The attack hit, an explosion occurred, and a dust cloud formed.

'Good thing that blind guy taught me how to use my other senses as a substitute for sight.' If you are wondering what he means, Natsu can pinpoint the locations and movements of his opponents based off of his other senses. However, because he had his sense of smell and hearing taken away from him, he had to resort to his weakest sense: touch. The vibrations from movement are picked up by Natsu and he used this to locate his guildmates before unleashing his Roar of 4 Fire Dragon Kings.

Thankfully, the effects of the runes began to wear off and when Natsu regained his sense of sight, he saw Erza on her knees wearing the Adamantine Armour with the shattered remains of the shield scattered in front of her. For some unknown reason, the members behind her were unconscious, even though she defended them from the attack. Natsu walked up to her and held out his hand as a sign that the battle is over. She smiled before taking his hand and used it to weakly pull herself up.

"Natsu, why are the others unconscious even though I perfectly blocked the attack?" Gildarts and Makarov, they left their safe zone a minute ago, were nearby and had an idea why.

"It's because a Spirit Fire Dragon's flames don't interact with physical objects and pass through them when they can. Instead, these flames attack your magic container, draining it with each attack. So even though your Adamantine shield protected everyone from the attack, the Spirit Fire Dragon flames went through your shield and siphoned everyone's magic energy." Erza, Gildarts and Makarov's eyes went wide in rapture. Natsu immediately cleared his throat to bring them back to reality.

"I think that we need to bring these guys back to the guild. I'm kind of worried about them." They nodded their heads in approval and began to gather the unconscious bodies of their guildmates. When they were in a close proximity of each other, Natsu surrounded everyone in flames once more to teleport them to the guild hall.

Right after the flames dissipated, the conscious members - except Erza, she was weak from the fighting -, began to move the others into the infirmary where Natsu began to heal them using a mix of Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen healing magic and Sky Dragon Queen healing magic. He began with Wendy and Maria.

"Wha? Where am I?" Wendy asked to seemingly no one.

"You're in the infirmary. I knocked you out during the fight, sorry for that." She shot up from her bed and saw Natsu healing Maria with a small smile on his face.

"It's alright Natsu-san. I knew the risks of fighting, so I would be lying if I said that I didn't see it coming." Natsu chuckled quietly as Maria was drifting back to consciousness.

"Natsu-sama? What happened?"

"You got knocked out." Natsu deadpanned as he pulled back. "Okay girls, I'm going to need you two to help me. Even with my large magical reserves, it would take me 2 days to revive everyone." They nodded at Natsu and began to work.

* * *

8 HOURS LATER

Another brawl broke out in the guild hall, in courtesy of Hansuke, and everyone was caught up in it. Chairs went flying, tables were broken, windows were destroyed, but everyone was having so much fun, Makarov decided to let it pass just this once. Natsu was having the time of his life; he and Erza were double teaming anyone brave enough to engage in a fist fight with , they were fighting the other dragon slayer couple in the guild, Gajeel and Levy. To his right, Happy and Pantherlily were having an arm wrestling competition in their Battle Forms while munching on their favourite snacks (Fish for Happy and kiwis for Pantherlily to those who didn't know). Elfman and Gray were also arm wrestling, but for some reason also throwing punches at each other while they were at it. Everyone else just went with the flow, except for the nonparticipants such as Lucy and Wendy.

The guild quieted down as everyone began to fall asleep from fatigue. Others went home when the fighting stop. Natsu was on the roof, meditating, when he smelled someone behind him.

"How may I help you, Gildarts-san?" Natsu stood up and turned around just in time to see Fairy Tail's Ace do a double take. Regaining his composure, Gildarts motioned Natsu to sit down with him.

"Tell me Natsu, Why didn't you use more Spirit Fire Dragon Slayer attacks to end the fight quickly?" Natsu sighed

"Spirit Fire Dragon Slayer can be fairly volatile if overused. If the user over calculates the strength of the flames, the recipient of the attack has a chance of death. The attacks I used against the others were weak."

"So why did you learn such a volatile magic?" Gildarts wanted to know why the boy he calls son has possession of dangerous magic.

"If the recipient of an attack is a dragon, the effects would be different. Instead of feeling fatigued, they would only get paralyzed for a span of time depending on the strength of the attack." Gildarts let out a sigh of relief. "I needed a way to subdue a dragon as painfully as possible, that is the main reason why I even bothered to practice it."

"I understand Natsu, thank you for your time."

"Thank you for understanding." With that, they stood up and returned to the guild hall, where the bodies of many unconscious mages were scattered all around the place. Seeing Erza by the bar, Natsu walked towards her.

"Hey."

"Hey." She warmly smiled at him. "I hope you still remember your promise."

"Of course I did, so do you want to seal it here or somewhere else?"

"I want it to be done privately, let's do it at your place." They went out the guild and walked towards Natsu's home. During the duration of the walk, the both of them were holding hands with interlocked fingers.

"Hey Natsu."

"Hmm?"

"Did you know that you are a Wizard Saint?" His reaction was priceless.

"WHAAT?!" He let go of her hand to jump 30 feet into the air. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this?" Natsu pouted like a small child.

"I'm not so sure myself." She giggled at his hilarious, but cute antics.

"Hmph.. At least I get to rub it in Gray's face." Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. The source of said pain was Erza's fist.

"Even after 30 years training with dragons, you still haven't let go of your stupid rivalry." She shook her head, showing her disappointment.

"Sorry.. You know what they say: Good rivalries die hard." He gave her a quick kiss on her cheeks as he held her hand again. This caused her to blush to a rather dark shade of pink.

" You idiot. The proper saying is: Good habits die hard." Scolding him with a smile on her face didn't get the message through. Finally, they reached his house and when they entered, Natsu was perplexed at the cleanliness of his home. She motioned him to her room and sat down on her bed right beside each other.

"So how much do you know about the mark of the dragon slayer." Erza began to go over what Gajeel told her on Tenroujima regarding the subject to the best of her abilities. "The majority of the information Gajeel gave you is correct. The only thing that is inaccurate is the statement that you will gain all my powers when the second stage of the mark has been achieved.

"On rare occasions, if a dragon slayer knows more that 2 forms of dragon slaying magic, the amount of dragon slaying magic a dragon slayer will give to their mate will rely on the mate's magical strength, will and bond with the dragon slayer. Also, the type of dragon slayer magic that will be given will be based off of the most proficient types the dragon slayer has. In our case, Fire Dragon King Slayer is an automatic for you. Before we figure out which types you will receive, let's figure out your threshold first." Natsu put two fingers on Erza's forehead and another two on his. They stayed like this for a moment before Natsu lowered his hands.

"This is good.. Based of of your magical, strength, will and bond with me; you will inherit four different types of dragon slayer magic. Just so you know, they types of dragon slaying magic you will be inheriting are Fire Dragon King Slayer, Hellfire Dragon King Slayer, Adamantine Dragon King Slayer and Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen Slayer." Erza began to jump up and down while giggling at his news. She was stopped by Natsu's strong hands before she could dent the roof. "Are you ready? 'Cause this is going to hurt a bit for you and me." She nodded vigorously.

Natsu put his hands on either side of Erza's head. "Before I forget, where do you want the mark?"

"You can choose the location of the mark?" Natsu nodded. "Hmm.. I think I would like mine on my right shoulder."

"Okay, here we go." Natsu began to channel his magic into his palms. When tendrils of energy began to wrap around his hands, he made the tendrils enter Erza's head. She briefly hissed out in pain as she began to absorb his magic and the information that came with it. When the tendrils disappeared, both mages cried out in pain as a searing heat began to plague their skin. On the right shoulder for Erza and the left one for Natsu, since he wanted his on the left shoulder. Erza laid down on the bed, clutching her arm in an attempt to ease the pain while Natsu fell to the floor doing the same thing.

When the pain receded, Erza looked at her mark and smiled at the insignia. Her mark was consisted of a red Fire Dragon's head (think of dragon head in the circle that appeared when Natsu cast a spell for the first time in the anime) with a circle of 16 silver swords behind it. The mark was inside of a red circle with a border marked with strange symbols. She heard a groan from beside her and looked to see Natsu with a bump on his head. She couldn't help but laugh loudly.

"It's not funny!" Natsu was beet red from embarrassment.

"I'm sorry." Her laughter died down while Natsu struggled to get up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… Marking your mate can drain you to the point of exhaustion." He gave her a reassuring smile as he sat down beside her. "The same thing probably happened with Gajeel too."

"By the way, what are these symbols and what do they mean?" She gestured to the symbols on the border of the insignia.

"Those are draconic runes, think of them as letters in the dragon language. Only a few humans could understand and decipher it. Even fewer of these aren't dragon slayers. Oh, and it says 'To you, I pledge my eternal allegiance.'" Erza began to tear up as she held her hands over her mouth. Natsu just gave her a loving smile before she jumped on him and kissed him. They kept on kissing for the next five minutes before they ran out of air.

"We should go to sleep. I wanna go on a job with you tomorrow." Natsu said as he broke away from Erza.

"Mhmm. That would be good." She slipped off of Natsu and requipped into her pajamas, which were purple with Heart Kreuz symbols all over them. She looked at Natsu in surprise when he began to walk towards her door. "Where are you going?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm gonna sleep on the floor. Just gonna get my old sleeping bag and a pillow." She smirked at him rather playfully.

"My, my.. When did you become a gentleman?"

"Yesterday." He deadpanned in a playful tone, causing the both of them to laugh.

"You can sleep here with me Natsu. After all, we're technically married now in dragon terms." He hesitated before speaking again.

"Alright, just let me change." He left the room and returned a minute later wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts with blue flames as trimmings. He laid down beside her and wrapped his arm around her as she wrapped hers around his chest.

"I love you…" Natsu yawned.

"I love you too…" She quickly pecked him on the lips and closed her eyes. After 7 years of pain and grief, Erza Scarlet slept in peace with a smile on her face.

* * *

**AAAAND DONE! THERE YOU GO GUYS, THE MUCH AWAITED FIGHT BETWEEN NATSU AND FAIRY TAIL. BEFORE ALL OF YOU START COMPLAINING THAT NATSU IS OP BECAUSE HE WIPED OUT THE ENTIRE GUILD, HEAR ME OUT. NATSU HAS BEEN GIVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAINTAINING THE PEACE BETWEEN THE THREE RACES. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO SO IF HE CAN'T SUBDUE A DRAGON THAT HAS WENT ON A RAMPAGE.**

**THANKS TO ALL OF THOSE WHO FAV'D AND FOLLOWED MY FIC. I'LL KEEP UP ON TRYING MY BEST TO UPLOADING NEW CHAPTERS FOR THIS FIC. BY THE WAY, IN A FEW CHAPTERS I WILL BE REVEALING WHO TAUGHT NATSU HOW TO USE HIS OTHER SENSES TO HIS ADVANTAGE.**(Hint: It's a blind man, PM me if you have a guess on who it is.)** RATE AND REVIEW GUYS. ON THE NEXT CHAPTER, NATSU AND ERZA'S FIRST MISSION TOGETHER.**

_**Das2Eazy signing off.**_


	8. The Hunt is On

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts:_ 'Thoughts'_

Spells: _**"Spells"**_

Yelling: **"YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: **"Speaking"**

Soft Sound: *Soft Sound*

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

Natsu woke up feeling something heavy on his chest. Looking down, he saw crimson red hair messily strewn across his chest. Memories of last night came back into his head, which in turn made him smile. He felt Erza stir for a moment before she slowly opened her eyes. She sat up and turned to her left to see a grinning Natsu.

"Good Morning Erza."

"Good Morning Natsu." She gave him a soft smile before yawning. "Did you sleep well?"

"Of course, I did. Though I'm a bit sore from the marking last night." She gave him an understanding nod. Looking to her right, she saw that the clock read 8:45 AM.

"Get dressed, Natsu. I'll make us breakfast. Knowing you, you're starving right now." He nodded at her as she stood up, requipped into her white blouse and skirt and walked out of the the room.

Erza walked into the kitchen, put on an apron and began to prepare breakfast; which was stir fried chicken and vegetables with rice. Halfway through her preparation (the rice was done and the meat is ready to be cooked), Natsu entered the kitchen wearing his red trenchcoat and black pants.

"Smells good. Need any help?" Natsu spoke as he slid beside her.

"No, it's fine." She reassured him with a smile while beginning to stir fry the meat.

"Too bad, I'm helping." He immediately removed his jacket, took the vegetables and a knife, and began to chop the vegetables with immense skill. When the meat was nearly done, he put the chopped vegetables into the pan and Erza began to stir the ingredients. As she was doing this, he took some bowls and chopsticks out of cabinets that weren't in his home in the first place, put rice in them and set them on the nearby table. Erza finished the other ingredients afterwards and put them into another bowl. She went to the table, placed the bowl on it and sat opposite to Natsu. They immediately began to eat, Natsu managed to surprise Erza by not eating like a starved animal, which he used to do all the time.

"Hey, Natsu. When will you train me to use my new magic?" Natsu put his bowl down for a moment to look into Erza's eyes, which were gleaming with excitement.

"After the mission, I'll start training you. Unless you want to do so after breakfast."

"Let's do it after the mission. Even though I'm excited to learn, going on a mission with only the two of us is better." Their faces immediately managed to match Erza's hair colour. After that little conversation, the two ate in silence. When they were done, the two washed their bowls and chopsticks and began their trek back to the guild.

"How long does it take for one to master Dragon Slayer Magic?" Erza broke the silence that settled over them as they walked.

"Hmm? Dragon Slayer Magic can take a lifetime to completely master. I believe that the question that you want to ask is '_How long will it take for someone to be proficient in Dragon Slayer Magic'?" _It actually depends on the type of Dragon Slayer Magic and the one learning it. Usually it averages at 5 years for most dragon slayers. However, in my 30 years of training in the Dragonrealm, I managed to learn Sky Dragon Queen Magic, one of the most difficult types, in 3 years." Erza looked at him with wide eyes before asking another question.

"So how about me? How long do you think I will be able to learn the 4 types of Dragon Slayer Magic I inherited?"

'_Boy, she's brimming with questions lately.. Just like me when I was a boy'_ He let out a small smile before answering her. "As I said it may depend. But according to my calculations based off of your magical strength, diligence and the magic type, - yes, Erza I think like a mathematician sometimes -, Fire Dragon King Slayer and Adamantine Dragon King Slayer may take you 2 years; Hellfire Dragon King Slayer may take you a year and a half; Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen Slayer may take you 3 and a half years. However, one must train continuously for that span of time or else the time would increase. "

"I see.." Her shoulders drooped slightly at the information. "Are you okay with answering my questions, I don't want to be a bother." His response was a hearty laugh.

"Don't worry, you ask just as many questions as me when Igneel taught me and the Terranos kids when I taught them." He gave her a wide grin in which she returned with a grin of her own and a hug.

"You've really changed for the better, you know that? If you don't mind I've got more questions to ask."

"Ask away." He exclaimed, sounding like an elder eager to share information with young children.

"Okay.. First off, I noticed that you're dragon slayer magic has either Dragon King or Dragon Queen in it, what's different about those compared to the other types? Second, apart with your magic and dragon characteristics, what abilities do I receive for being your mate? Third, On Hansuke's first mission, he never got sick in the train. Did you train him and his sister out of it? Finally, how will you find the time to train me if learning Dragon Slayer Magic takes a few years?"

"For your first question, Dragon King or Queen Slayer Magic is a stronger variation of Dragon Slayer Magic. The sole purpose of the magic is to slay the King or Queen of a certain dragon type, which are essentially the strongest of their type. For example Fire Dragon King Slayer was primarily used to slay the Fire Dragon King due to the fact that the Fire Dragon King is much stronger than standard Fire Dragons. For your second question, except for some of my magic and dragon characteristics, the only ability you will receive telepathy, but you can only talk to me and vice versa. For your third question, yes, I trained not only Hansuke, but also Maria, and myself out of our motion sickness so that it wouldn't be a nuisance. For your final question, I could always bring you to the Dragonrealm and train you there. Also, only Dragonslayers can be in there so you don't have to worry about others distracting you. By the way, that's also where I trained us three out of our motion sickness." The remainder of the trip was in silence because Natsu knew that Erza had to digest a lot of information.

"Oh, how could I forget." They both stopped a couple of metres away from the guild building as Erza unwrapped the scarf around her neck, "Here Natsu, you can have it back."

Natsu looked at the scarf before smiling while pushing it back towards her, "Keep it. It's yours now."

"Why? This was a memoir from Igneel, wasn't it?" She was confused on why he refused to take his old scarf back.

"Yes, that may be true; but it is completely unnecessary now since I already found him and plus, I spent 30 years in the Dragonrealm with him." Natsu took the scarf from her hands and wrapped it around her neck, "Think of it as a present from me to you." Erza hugged him tightly before quickly pecking him on the lips as they resumed their trek.

After reaching the guild doors, the dragon slayers opened it to reveal another Fairy Tail brawl being held. It seemed like the guild recovered from last night's events rather quickly since they usually wake up at 11:00 AM but the time was 9:45 AM. Dodging chair parts, flying mages and empty bottles; Natsu and Erza finally made it to the guild bar where Makarov, Lucy, Wendy and Mira were watching the brawl. Natsu made his way towards the request board while Erza remained seated at the bar.

"Master, why aren't you stopping them? You know how much this is going to cost you if this keeps up." Wendy looked at Makarov with questioning eyes.

"Let them be, my dear. This atmosphere of happiness is something to be enjoyed, especially for them. They've never felt this way ever since Natsu supposedly passed away. Plus, I have a bit of extra cash since Natsu was gone for 7 years."

"Oh, I understand." She turned back to the brawl after Makarov gave her a sage-like nod with his eyes closed. Natsu returned to the bar, holding a request on one of his hands and blocking flying projectiles with the other.

"Hey Erza, we should take this one." He handed her the sheet of paper and let her study it. The request was to hunt down an escaped reward was a generous 1 000 000 jewels and the mission was ranked A-class. The convict had long hair, a Friendly Mutton Chop beard, and a celtic tattoo on his face. Hair colour and eye colour are nearly impossible to figure out because the man's picture was in black and white. His name was Bhaltair Agroson.

"Alright…. Master." Makarov opened one eye to look at Erza. "Natsu and I will be doing this mission." She handed him the request.

"Sure thing. Stay safe brats." He took out a thick notebook behind the bar and began to write in it. The duo said their goodbyes and began to walk back to Natsu's home, but a bottle suddenly was thrown from the brawl and unfortunately hit Erza at the back of the head. The guild members who saw this happen, which happened to include Natsu, immediately ran for cover (aka the basement). Other members kept on fighting, paying no heed to the sudden decrease in numbers or the aura that Erza was emitting. She turned around, walked towards the brawl with her hair shadowing her eyes and took a deep breath before…

"**WHO THREW THAT BOTTLE?!"** The fighting immediately stopped and everyone looked at Erza with fearful eyes.

"**IT WAS MARIA, I SWEAR!"** Hansuke's voice was heard from the centre of the crowd. A sadistic smile grew on Erza's face as she began to look for her target. Surprisingly, she didn't have to look for long since the panicking guild members pushed Maria towards her direction. The poor girl shook at the sight of Erza sadistically smiling at her while everyone else took this opportunity to scurry to the basement.

"Time for your punishment." Erza swapped her right hand's gauntlet with the right gauntlet belonging to the Giant's Armour. She swung her fist and was about to hit Maria if it wasn't for Natsu blocking it with a Adamantine scale covered hand. The impact made a small crater and knocked Maria on her butt.

"Erza…." Natsu slowly began with a cold tone to his voice. "Please refrain from hitting my students outside sparring. If someone was to give them punishment, it has to be me because I am their teacher. Maria…" The other red head looked up to see her mentor frowning at her. "Apologize to Erza, your punishment will come later."

I'm sorry Erza-san." Maria bowed to Erza, shocking the older red head.

"It's alright, I got a bit carried away. I used to do punishments of that nature towards Natsu years ago." She helped Maria up and the two hugged for a moment.

"I've seen it first hand." The two women shared a laugh and Natsu had a small smile on their face.

"Shall we leave now Natsu?" Erza looked at Natsu with a bored look on her face.

"Not yet, I have something to take care of."

"Make it quick, I'll be waiting at the train station." She left the guild hall and immediately after she left, everyone went back up the the guild's main floor. Natsu began to look for someone and when he saw him, he walk towards him.

"**HANSUKE TERRANOS!**" The Hellfire Dragon King Slayer froze on the spot. He turned around to meet the flying fist of his angry mentor. The blow caused him to fly and hit a nearby table. When he got up, he saw Natsu walk towards him and braced for another punch. It never came and he looked up to see Natsu with a disappointed look on his face. Natsu loudly sighed before speaking. "You should know better than to abandon your sister. Even though this is a small conflict, you must always watch over her. I know it could get difficult, especially if they screwed up big time, but being a big brother means that you should always be prepared to take the hits for her. Trust me, I know from experience with Happy." A small portion of the guild 'Awwed' at Natsu's speech while others looked with pride.

"I understand Natsu-sama."

"Good, go apologize to your sister and tell her that you two are going to have to do a mission together as punishment." Hansuke nodded and went to get his sister.

"Hey Salamander." Gajeel called out to Natsu as he was heading out the doors.

"Yes, Black Steel Gajeel?" Natsu emphasized 'Black Steel' in a playful tone while turning around to face him.

"Did you do it?"

"Do what?" Natsu was confused at what Gajeel was implying.

"The marking, you numbskull." The iron dragon slayer was quite irritated at Natsu.

"Of course I did. Why?"

"Nothing, just wanna say congrats." he held out his hand and Natsu shook it. Both dragonslayers had a smirk on their faces. "I bet that my mate can beat yours in a fight."

Natsu simply rolled his eyes. "Gajeel, Erza is an S-class mage with fighting skills equivalent to the best. Even with Dragon Slayer Magic, Levy wouldn't be able to beat Erza. I'm sorry but that's the truth. And if Erza learns Dragon Slayer Magic, the fight would be really one-sided."

"I knew that." Gajeel grew a mischievous grin on his face. "But that's if she learns Dragon Slayer Magic. While you were gone, I trained Levy the same way Metalicana taught me, although there were a few changes. If I were you, I would start training your mate before she embarasses herself in front of you by not beating Levy."

"You're on, Gajeel. Give us time, and Erza will wipe the floor with the both of you." The two shared a laugh as Natsu left the guild to meet Erza at the train station. He saw her sitting down on a bench reading a book with a blush on her face. Deciding to play around with her, he snuck up behind her and began to tickle her. She was laughing furiously and accidentally dropped her book. Nearby bystanders stopped to watch the two before moving on. A minute later, he stopped his assault and sat down beside her. Noticing the book on the ground, he picked it up, closed it and gave it to her.

"Huh? Thanks, aren't you curious about what I was reading?" She completely forgot the fact that Natsu has matured, which caused him to overcome his cat-like curiosity.

"It's not hard to figure out that you were reading a dirty novel due to the blush on your face." Her face went from pink, to red, to pale white. Natsu saw this and barely stopped himself from laughing, fully knowing the consequences if he failed to do so. "Alrighty then, let's go."

"S-S-S-Sure." Erza barely formed the words and was still fairly pale as she stood up to follow Natsu. They reached the terminal and bought tickets to Hargeon. When they boarded the train, Natsu gave her a confused look.

"What?"

"Why are we going to Hargeon?" Erza's eyes widened. She stood up and bowed her head towards Natsu.

"Please forgive me for not briefing you Natsu! Hit me!" It was quiet for a moment until Erza heard him snickering. "What's so funny?"

"I can't believe you fell for it. I already know why we are going to Hargeon, that was where the man was last spotted. Seriously Erza, you need to get rid of that habit of you asking to get hit as a sign of forgiveness." Natsu shook his head as his laughing ceased. "That is unless you're a closet masochist"

"**YOU IMBECILE!**" All Erza saw was red as she requipped both her gloves and replaced them with Giant's armour gauntlets and began to punch Natsu repeatedly until he was unconscious. "Crap, I went overboard, sorry." Natsu remained silent and Erza started to feel bad for hurting her mate. Then the train began to move and Erza felt very nauseous. She doubled over and held her stomach, trying not to lose her lunch.

'_Natsu….wake up.' _She tried to talk, but instead the only sound that escaped her mouth was a low groan. She spent half the journey trying to fight the urge to throw up until Natsu finally woke up.

"_*groan*_ Why does my head feel like Igneel smacked it with his tail? Erza, you ok?" Erza at the moment was green, half-dead and on the floor. She only let out a groan before shaking her head.

'_Ah crap, she's motion sick… Funny, I thought that she wouldn't be motion sick since I'm healed. Whatever, gotta help her."_ He picked her up and sat her down on his lap. This seemed to make the motion sickness more bearable.

"Thanks…..Natsu." She weakly croaked as she leaned up against his chest and drifted into sleep. He heard footsteps in the hallways of the train and the conductor passed by the compartment.

"Hey, mister." he spoke in a whisper, but the train was so quiet that the man heard it and turned around to meet Natsu (who had his hood up). "How long until we reach Hargeon?" The man thought for a moment before answering.

"About 3 hours." Natsu gave the man a quick thanks before he left. Natsu then diverted his attention to Erza and hugged her sleeping form before succumbing to sleep's embrace.

* * *

_3 HOURS LATER_

"Attention all passengers, we have arrived at Hargeon." The PA announcer's voice woke up Natsu.

"Erza, we're here." He nudged her, hoping that she will wake up faster. Thankfully, she did and the two of them exited the train and made their way to the city hall. The building was fairly small compared to other city halls, taking up about a quarter of an acre. However, the detail is enough compensation for its lack of size. It's designed with a Neo-baroque style, with statues of various sea life and mermaids in between the windows rather than columns. The majority of the building is white except for the blue and gold domes, teal engravings and gold window borders. The front doors were massive, roughly the size of Fairy Tail's doors and were made out of mahogany. They opened the grand doors and were greeted with a grand hallway filled with marvelous paintings with gold frames. A young man with blonde hair, green eyes and a fairly well built body wearing a brown open jacket over a black button up shirt and brown pants came to greet the two .

"Good Afternoon. I am Haruka, the mayor of Hargeon, how may I help you?" Haruka spoke with a grand smile on his face and he seemed to be a carefree person.

"We are Fairy Tail mages and we are looking for an escaped convict that was last seen in here. Do you have any information concerning the escapee?" Natsu spoke for Erza as she handed him a photo of the escapee. Haruka's face suddenly turned grim and he signaled the mages to come to his office. They entered his office and took a moment to take in the sight. His oak desk was in front of a large window with light blue curtains. The floor was made out of hardwood and shined in the light of the sun. There were shelves filled with books along the walls and two statues of mermaids flanked the doors they came in from. After a moment of silence, the mayor of Hargeon motioned them to sit down on one of the few black leather chairs on near the desk as he sat down on his own chair.

"This man was indeed in Hargeon. He was the cause of many unneeded fights between the civilians and authorities, which resulted in the hospital to overflow with the injured. The Rune Knights were sent here to capture him a few times, but everytime they tried to, he fought back and won. After sending a full platoon of 25 knights to capture him, of course they failed, he escaped and who knows where he went." He finished and waited the two to answer.

"What kind of magic did this man use to fight back?" Natsu asked in a serious tone of voice.

"I am not entirely sure myself, but there are still some Rune Knights at the hospital that are having their wounds tended."

"Mr. Haruka, I'm curious on why you sent us to your office to tell us this information." Erza asked with one of eyebrows arched.

"Oh, I just wanted you guys to sit down as you were listening. I wouldn't like my guests to feel uncomfortable as I speak to them. Are you alright?" He asked the two mages on the floor, oblivious at the fact that they dropped to the floor when he told them that he just wanted them to sit down. The both of them sat back on the chairs and regained their composure.

"I understand, thank you for your time." The trio stood up and made their way out of the door. Haruka escorted them all the way to the city hall's entrance. They were about to make their way to the hospital until Natsu remembered something. "Where's the hospital?"

"It's a few blocks south from the park." Saying their goodbyes, they parted ways with determined looks on the mages' faces and a hopeful look on the mayor's.

After walking for a while, the two finally found the hospital. The building was 4 stories tall and roughly took up an acre of space and was built like a rectangle. It's painted white with bits of red for the words 'Hargeon General Hospital'. They entered and were greeted by a brunette nurse behind a table.

"Hello, my name's Johanna, welcome to Hargeon General Hospital, how may I help you?" She spoke in a nurses stereotypical cheery voice.

"Hi, My name is Erza Scarlet, we're mages from Fairy Tail and we would like to talk to one of the Rune Knights being treated in this hospital for investigation purposes." Erza answered with the commanding tone that she was known for.

"I see, please follow me." the small group made their way through the maze of hallways and doors. After a few minutes of walking through multiple hallways and going up 2 floors via elevator, they reached a room numbered 783C. Entering the room, the nurse introduced the mages to, their surprise, an injured Doranbolt. He was dressed in a blue hospital gown and his right arm was in a sling. His hair was fairly messy, he probably just woke up, and he was cleanly shaven. Joanna exited the room immediately because she had a feeling that they were going to talk about things that she isn't supposed to know.

"Good Afternoon Erza, nice to see you." His words were laced with sympathy. Then his face contorted into a little frown. "Who's your friend?".

With a giant grin on both of their faces, Natsu lowered his hood; Doranbolt's eyes widened in surprise. "Good to see you Mest, or should I say Doranbolt." Doranbolt remained quiet, he still was processing the fact that Natsu was alive and well.

"How are you-"

"Alive? Long story short, a deity revived me in exchange for service.." The rune knight simply nodded his head in understanding.

"So what can I help the both of you with?" He already knew the answer to that question.

"We want to know what kind of magic Bhaltair Agroson uses ." Erza answered. He closed his eyes for a minute to recall the information about Bhaltair.

"Bhaltair uses a form of fighting magic called _**The Berserker**_. It passively gives him enhanced strength strength, speed and stamina. However, the highlight of the magic occurs when he is at the edge of death. At the moment he is nearly dead, red tendrils of energy surround him and form a protective layer and quadruples the passive effect he gains from the magic. Also, he gains the ability to summon his weapons, which are usually made out of the red tendrils of energy."

"I know about this magic. I knew a man from a continent called Runeterra who was an expert. In fact, he was he one who taught Hansuke how to use axes for combat."

"There was something different about his weapons though." Natsu and Erza gave him confused looks. "Instead of using weapons made out of red energy, he used a physical sword."

"That isn't weird at all Doranbolt, the Runeterran berserker also used physical weapons. But now that we know his magic, do you have anything that may have his scent?" He gave him a moment to think.

"Unfortunately, no." Natsu and Erza frowned. "But I do know that he was headed towards Onibas through the forest, if my memory serves me correctly." The duo's heartbeats picked up for a moment at the anticipation of a good fight. They said their goodbyes and immediately boarded a train to Onibas, even though Erza kept on insisting that they can catch up on foot. They spent the next 8 hours talking to each other on how to deal with him, albeit telepathically since Erza felt really queasy on the train.

It was evening when whey arrived at Onibas and also just as the Fiore Military was issuing an evacuation of a small area. When the train doors opened, the Fairy Tail mages were greeted by panicking civilians eager to board the train. Erza stopped a running civilian to ask him a question. "What's going on here?"

"Huh?" Instead of headbutting him like what she did to others before, she let him comprehend the question. A moment passed by when he finally answered, "The military is evacuating people at the centre of the town because there's a rampaging mage."

"I hear that the mage is an escapee." Another voice piped into the conversation.

"Thank you for the information." Erza signaled Natsu to follow her and the two made their way to the city's centre. When they arrived, a cloaked man wielding a golden sword with red edges was fighting 3 rune knights with little effort. Then with one mighty swing, he incapacitated all three men before looking at the two. Natsu and Erza quickly took a battle stance and prepared for the man to attempt to hit them. Unsurprisingly, it was Natsu who threw the first punch; in his case, the first roar.

"_**Fire Dragon King's Roar!''**_ the cloaked man dashed to the right, then lunged towards Natsu; his right hand cocked back. He swung and knocked an Adamantine Scale covered Natsu a good 10 feet away. Unfortunately for the man, he didn't notice Erza requip into her Lightning Empress Armour and shoot a bolt of lightning through her spear at his back. The lightning bolt hit and caused him double over. He straightened up just in time to meet Natsu's _**Spirit Fire Dragon's Fist**_. Natsu managed to throw the man into a building with the power of his blow. He winced in pain before looking at his arms, which were cut.

'_How did he cut through Adamantine Scales? Only very powerful Dragon Slayer Magic can damage this.'_

"Natsu!" His thoughts were interrupted by Erza's voice. She stopped right beside him and noticed his bleeding arms. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Erza. You should be worried about our friend. It seems that this fight isn't over." As if on cue, a battle roar was heard and a figure escaped from the dust cloud that settled near the building in front of them. They instinctively jumped back as the man hit the ground where they were standing. When the man straightened up, they finally got a good look at their initial target. He had dirty blonde hair, a short boxed beard, dark blue eyes and a celtic face tattoo on his cheek. His apparel was consisted of brown fur pants, black boots and a wolf pelt with the wolf's head resting atop his and the rest of the pelt going down his back. His chest was littered with old and new cuts along with woad tattoos, which were dulled by dirt.

"You two seem to be worthy warriors, worthy enough to know my name. I am Bhaltair Agroson and I wish to know yours." Bhaltair spoke with a strong accent (**A/N: the desired accent was Scottish, but I didn't put it as a description because Scotland doesn't exist in Fiore) **and after he introduced himself, he lowered his weapon and slightly bowed his head.

"My name is Natsu Dragneel." Natsu also lowered his guard and slightly bowed his head, remembering a little tip he learned from the Runeterran berserker.

"I am Erza Scarlet." She mimicked Natsu's action even though she didn't know why.

'_Bowing your head right after you introduce yourself is a sign of respect to berserkers. If you are unable to do so, they will take it as an insult, even if you never knew that in the first place.' _Natsu telepathically spoke in her mind, sensing her confusion at his action.

"Natsu, Erza, it will be a pleasure to either kill you both or die by your hands." a small smile grew on his dry lips. "**RAAAAAAAGHHH!**" the berserker lifted the sword in the air and it transformed into a two-handed axe with a wooden handle, a large golden face and an equally large red blade. After the weapon's transformation, he lunged towards the two as they prepared to face his attack.

Bhaltair let out a roar as he swung his axe horizontally. Erza requipped into her Adamantine Armour in an attempt to block the attack. To her surprise, the axe cut through the massive shield like a hot knife through butter. She quickly requipped into her Flight Armour and ducked underneath the blade to prevent her decapitation. She swung her swords in lightning fast succession, causing the berserker to go into the defensive and gain new cuts. As she was about to swing her sword for the umpteenth time, he kicked her at the stomach. The force of the kick sent her flying into Natsu's arms.

"You're good Erza, obtaining such skill with requipping magic is no easy feat." His eyes seemed to glimmer in excitement. His weapon changed form again, this time into a warhammer with a golden handle and red hammer head. Bhaltair jumped up and slammed the warhammer into the ground and caused a small earthquake to occur. Natsu slammed a palm into the ground as the earthquake began to worsen.

"_**Earth Dragon King`s Calming Claw!"**_ Natsu's arm was encrusted with rocks as a green aura surrounded his arm and the earthquake ceased. He stood up with a triumphant grin as Bhaltair looked at him with curious eyes. His eyes widened when Natsu appeared right in front of him and began to throw rapid punches with rock covered hands. The majority of punches were blocked by Bhaltair's warhammer. The few that weren't blocked hurt him, a lot. Desperate for some breathing room, he shoved Natsu away from him; only to have Erza to hit him with _**Photon Slicer**_.

His body flew towards a building, but he righted himself at the last moment and jumped off the building he was about to hit. He changed the weapon's form again into a mace. The momentum from his jump caught Natsu and Erza by surprise, which in turn rendered them unable to block the powerful blows of Bhaltair. They flew in opposite directions and hit a couple of buildings before rolling to a stop.

The berserker had a dilemma on who to attack before making his decision, he'll go for Natsu. Running at an impressive speed towards to slowly standing dragon slayer, Bhaltair raised his mace and hit Natsu right in the head. Once again, Natsu went flying and hit a building. Natsu stood up from the rubble and walked out to see a grinning Bhaltair. Natsu grinned back and felt something warm flowing down his head. Putting his hand on the warm substance and discovered that it was blood.

"Heh, very few people have caused me to bleed like this. Even fewer have done it with the use of a weapon." The man in front of him chuckled softly.

"Is that so? Well, I am honoured that I have caused you to bleed."

'_Boy, the guy was right. Berserkers honour every little achievement they gained in a fight.'_ Natsu thought, but before he attacked once more, he had to ask an important question. "Bhaltair… Your weapon has managed to cut through my Adamantine Scales, a feat that was considered impossible until now. Tell me what is special about that weapon that you wield?"

"I am surprised that you don't know, my friend, since you're a dragon slayer. This is the 'Dragon's Blade'." Natsu's eyes went wide.

"But that blade disappeared after the Dragon War that occurred 400 years ago. Furthermore, only dragon slayers were able to wield the blade. Unless..." His statement was never finished due to the berserker's interruption.

"_**Ice Dragon's Roar!**_" a jagged stream of ice came out of his mouth and was headed at , he was engulfed in a pillar of fire and teleported right behind Bhaltair. He began to punch Bhaltair with flame-enhanced fists at a rapidly increasing speed. His opponent blindly swung his mace while turning around. Natsu simply jumped away and unleashed a _**Spirit Fire Dragon King's Roar.**_

On the other side of the battlefield, Erza was getting to her feet and was looking for Natsu. '_Natsu, where are you?.. Answer me!'_ At every passing moment, she was getting worried about him.

***BOOOOM***

Then an explosion was heard about 300 metres to her right. She requipped into her Flight Armour and used it's enhanced speed to reach the location of the explosion. Erza was met with the sight of an ice covered Bhaltair exchanging blows with Natsu in _**Hellfire Drive**_.

Natsu saw her in the corner of his vision and devised a plan to hopefully take Bhaltair out without him going berserk. He waited for an opening and he got it when he saw Bhaltair's left rib cage was exposed. He hit it with all his might and the angle which he hit caused him to fly towards Erza. Erza equipped into the Purgatory Armour and swung her mace like a baseball bat. Unfortunately for her, when the mace never connected with his body for he flipped mid-air to dodge the blow.

"_**Ice Dragon's Freezing Blow.**_" A fist covered in ice smashed against her back. She flew forwards and rolled when she hit the ground in order to mitigate the force from the impact. At her back, the spot Bhaltair hit had ice forming on it and the ice was growing. Natsu noticed this and lit his hands of fire and placed them on Erza's back in order to melt the ice. Before the ice was completely melted, Bhaltair launched another assault against the two.

He swung his mace, and caused the two to jump back. As they were jumping back, he roundhouse kicked Natsu, but was blocked by him. His legs were swept from underneath him and Erza's mace hit him at the stomach, sending him to the ground. Natsu jumped upwards and unleashed a _**Roar of 4 Fire Dragon Kings.**_

A large explosion occurred and blew the both of them away. The both of them stood there warily until a powerful scent assaulted their noses. The tried to cover their noses but before they were able to, a large gust of wind blew the smoke and dust away to reveal a heavily injured Bhaltair. However, he was wrapped in a red layer of pure energy and behind him, a faint silhouette of an ice dragon can be seen.

'_Crap, __**The Berserker's Rage**_…_. This is gonna get harder.'_ Bhaltair disappeared and reappeared in front of Erza. He swung his mace upwards and then struck her down midair. Erza felt a stinging sensation at her upper torso and clutched her sides. When Natsu saw her in pain, he got pissed. He released his _**Hellfire Drive**_ and replaced it with a _**Spirit Fire Drive**_ along with _**Crystal Dragon Queen's Scales.**_

He charged towards Bhaltair the same time Bhaltair charged at him. Their fists met and a crater was formed underneath their feet. Bhaltair swung his mace at Natsu, and he ducked as he rolled to the side. Natsu balled his fists and punched upwards in a tornado motion (**A/N Shoryuken!**). Bhaltair went up into the air before swinging his sword downwards. Natsu put his hands into an X in an attempt to block the blow.

However, his suspicions about the blade being the real thing was proven true when the sword cut right through the scales. He jumped away before the blade could penetrate even further. His arms were starting to get numb from the pain. Bhaltair, on the other hand, was starting to get exhausted from magic deficiency. After a small break, they began to throw blows at each other. Natsu was constantly dodging the blade since he knew that it could cut through even the toughest of dragon scales.

* * *

_HISTORY LESSON BREAK:_

The Dragon's Blade was a legendary blade forged out of the scales of an ancient dragon. It was given to the first dragon slayer as a sign of allegiance with the dragons. Over the course of the Dragon War, the blade has been passed down from various dragon slayers. The last user of the blade before it's supposed disappearance was none other than Acnologia.

It's one of the very few weapons that is been able to pierce the scales of dragons, even the Adamantine Dragon's. Also, as demonstrated in the story, it can change it's form depending on the user's fighting style or the situation. As Natsu said, only dragon slayers are able to wield the weapon. If a non-dragon slayer were attempt to do so, the person would perish in an explosion of elements.

* * *

Natsu saw that Bhaltair was starting to tire from the attacks he was dishing out, thanks to his _**Spirit Fire Drive**_. He dashed to Bhaltair's back, much to his opponent's surprise. As the large man turned around, Natsu roundhouse kicked his stomach, sending him into the air. As he was in the air, Natsu performed a spinning hook kick at his abdomen and sent him flying through the streets. Still in shock, he wasn't able to block Natsu from punching him into the ground with a _**Spirit Fire Dragon's Siphoning Strike**_. He jumped back to catch his breath. Natsu's eyes widened when Bhaltair stood up once more, albeit slowly.

Bhaltair knew that he was exhausted and his magic was nearing zero because of Natsu's Spirit Fire attacks; then he spied Erza lying on the ground a fair distance behind Natsu. In an attempt to end the fight quickly, Bhaltair dashed to Erza's immobile body and slashed downwards. Erza would've died if it wasn't for Natsu kicking Bhaltair away while attempting to block the blade. Unfortunately for Natsu, the blade's momentum and power caused him to lose his arm from the elbow downwards.

"**AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!**" the heart-wrenching scream of pain from Natsu was heard all throughout Onibas. Erza was wide awake the entire time and her breathing stopped when she heard his scream. Time seemed to slow down as Natsu's body slowly dropped to the ground.

"**NATSU!**" She ignored the pain from her ribs as she jumped to his body and cradled his head on her lap. Thinking fast, she took off his trenchcoat and wrapped his injured arm with it. Her tears were flowing freely as she clutched his arm. Her ears picked up slow footsteps ahead of her. Something snapped inside of her and her sorrow was replaced with unimaginable rage and hatred. She looked up and caused Bhaltair to flinch.

"You hurt Natsu," She was subconsciously building up massive amounts of magic to the point that some loose pebbles began to levitate in the air. "**THAT IS A CRIME PUNISHABLE BY DEATH!**" Erza let out a battle roar as a pillar of white and red fire erupted from underneath her. Bhaltair took a few steps back, the intensity of the heat was unbearable for him. When the flames disappeared, Erza had bandages on her chest and was wearing her red pants with yellow flames at the bottom. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was bare foot. Surprisingly, she didn't have any weapons in her hands. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were now golden with black slits and her canines were noticeably elongated as she was baring her teeth. Her entire figure was engulfed in white and red flames. The flawless porcelain skin of Erza was now covered in the criss-cross pattern of dragon scales. Yessiree, she was in Dragon Force.

"_**Roar of 3 Fire Dragon Kings!**_" A stream of white, orange, red and black flames escaped Erza's mouth. Bhaltair barely dodged the attack, but the near miss caused his adrenaline to flow excessively into his veins and his magic levels fluctuated.

"Now we get to have fun." A red tendril rested on his unarmed hand. Then a sword made out of pure energy with the same dimensions as the Dragon's Blade appeared on said hand. Erza ran towards him and slid downwards in order to dodge both swords. She stood up and punched him in the back, immediately getting his attention. He turned around and swung his swords, only to cut empty space. He didn't get enough time to think where Erza was before receiving a kick at his chest, causing some ribs to break. As he doubled over in pain, Erza grabbed his head and slammed it down on her raised knee before jabbing him twice in the face.

"_**Hellfire Dragon King's Tormenting Flame!"**_ Erza jumped back as she put her hands together by the wrists with palms facing outwards. A small ball of fire appeared before growing to roughly the size of a basketball. Bhaltair stood up in time to see a beam of reddish black flames heading his direction.

***BOOOM***

Erza waited for a moment until the smoke died out, never lowering her guard. She let out a sound of surprise when she saw Bhaltair in the middle of an ice dome with red energy swirling around it. He made a triangular incision on the dome as he walked out with a sick smile on his face.

"My turn." The protective layer that surrounded him grew in size until it towered over the houses of Onibas. He slammed both swords to the ground and the apparition mimicked his action. a massive tremor was produced and Erza jumped up to prevent herself from falling into a newly formed trench. She didn't notice Bhaltair running towards her from the bottom of the trench.

"_**Ice Dragon's Glacial Explosion."**_ She looked down to see ever increasing towers of ice sprouting from the ground headed her direction. Before she could do anything, a tower hit her at the jaw and sent her flying in the air. To Bhaltair's relief, she landed right in the hands of his apparition. He motioned it to begin crushing her with its hands.

"**GAAAAH!"** Erza screamed in pain as the giant increased the pressure. Her vision began to darken as she was drifting into unconsciousness. '_No...I must not fall…. Not to him.. He hurt Natsu… He has to be punished… Natsu, lend me your strength.'_

'_You don't need mine..' _Natsu's voice reverberated in her mind. '_Your strength is enough to beat him. Why do you think you have the capability to learn 4 different dragon king/queen slayer types?'_ A smiled graced her face as she closed her eyes.

"**RAAAAAAAGHHH!**" Erza roared mightily to the heavens as the flames that surrounded her increased in size. Bhaltair noticed this and attempted to contain the flames by using an ice sphere to surround her. His efforts were in vain when the ice shattered and the giant's hands began to break. Erza looked around for Bhaltair and when she saw him, she let out another roar. A roar that sounded like a dragon's roar, an angry dragon's roar that is.

The red giant's hands shattered and Erza used her flames to throttle herself towards Bhaltair.

"_**Secret Dragon King Slayer Art: Judgement of the Ethereal Dragons!"**_ She grew flaming wings on her back. One was white and gold while the other was black and red. On her arms, flames of the same colour were dancing about. She landed about 10 metres away from him before driving both arms into the ground. A geyser of white, gold, red, and black erupted from underneath Bhaltair.

"**AAAAAAAHHH!"** Bhaltair was heard screaming loudly in pain as the geyser grew in size. Then the geyser swiftly focused to a small point before a large explosion occurred. Erza unactivated her Dragon Force and began to walk towards the dust cloud. Using her enhanced sense of smell to guide herself towards Bhaltair, she saw his battered body at the centre of a massive crater.

"hehe. _*cough* _..You're a strong one. Natsu chose a wonderful mate. _*cough*_..." his eyes closed and his breathing slowed down.

"You nearly killed the one care for the most… Death is only fitting for such an act." She requipped a katana and pointed the tip at his rising chest.

'_Erza, don't..' _She was about to thrust the sword at his heart if it wasn't for Natsu. '_I'm fine and we don't kill, remember.'_ Erza reluctantly exquipped the katana and ran towards Natsu's location. She saw him sitting up with a smile on his face. Her vision clouded as tears began to form in her eyes. Increasing her speed, she tackled Natsu into the ground as she quietly sobbed.

"You idiot, you had me worried." Erza buried her head in his chest as he stroke her hair gently.

"I'm sorry." His heart ached as she cried into his chest, fully knowing that he was the cause of it. "On the bright side, my wounds have been sealed."

"How?" She took the jacket off of his arm and instead of seeing exposed flesh and bone, she saw skin covering the wound.

"When you were in Dragon Force, the Heavenly Dragon Queen Slayer aspect of it radiated a healing aura. Heavenly Dragon Slayers as well as Sky dragon Slayers radiate such an aura when in Dragon Force."

"But how are you going to be able to fight well with one arm?"

"Hey, Gildarts has prosthetic limbs, I could ask how and where he got them. That or I could ask Porlyusica to make me an artificial arm. Now, where is Bhaltair?" Her face turned grim as she pointed at a large crater not too far from them. They stood up and walked towards it. Seeing that he is still alive, Natsu sat down above him and placed a hand on his head.

'_Bhaltair, can you hear me?'_

'_Natsu? How are you able to do this?'_

'_That is for me to know and for you to stay out of. Let me ask you something, where did you get the Dragon's Blade?'_

'_It was given to me by the dragon that taught me, Isole.'_

'_The blade was missing for nearly for 400 years, where did she find it?'_

'_It was under the protection of the dragons, they feared that another Acnologia might kill them all. That was until they found me. The dragons saw that my heart was pure and they gave it to Isole, who gave it to me.'_

'_If your heart is so pure, why are you a criminal?'_

'_Funny story actually. I was raised with the thought of "_You are weak unless proven strong"_. Because of that ideology, I wandered Fiore in search for powerful opponents and everyone I found was a disappointment. That was until I met a man by the name of Jose Porla. I challenged him and he accepted. One thing led to the other and before I knew it, I was under the effects of the __**Berserker's Rage**_ _and unfortunately came close to ending his life if it wasn't for the intervention of Rune Knights.'_

'_Weird, I've never heard about this story.'_

'_Probably since it happened nearly 20 years ago. I was your age then.'_

'_How about what happened today? With you escaping, causing a small rebellion and nearly killing me?'_

' _I escaped because I felt that I was being wronged in the prison, which I was. They treated me as if I was trash and nothing more. The small rebellion I started was a mere distraction so that I could flee to the mountains. Finally, our little fight and your near death was the product of two things: confusion and the side effects of the __**Berserker's Rage***__.'_

'_Alright, so I'm gonna have to turn you over then. No hard feelings.'_

'_It's fine, I deserved it since I cut off your arm. I apologize for that.'_ Natsu lifted his hand from Bhaltair's head and walked towards his side. He channeled some Lightning Dragon Slayer magic into his palm before hitting Bhaltair in the chest. Said mage jumped up from the shock of the crude defibrillator.

"Sorry, had to wake you up quickly." Natsu grinned at him while scratching the back of his head.

"It's alright." Then Bhaltair felt a shiver up his spine, and he instinctively turned around to see Erza glaring daggers at him while baring her teeth. He flinched at her gaze as he walked up to her with his hands in the air. "I apologize for what I have done to your mate. Please forgive me." He knelt down and bowed at her feet.

"Why should I?" Erza had an ice cold tone to her voice that could've caused Gray to bundle up.

"I was expecting that kind of an answer." He held out his hand to the side and the Dragon's Blade flew into it. Before he could do anything else, he felt a sharp metal poking at his throat. It was a sword that Erza automatically summoned when she saw his blade fly in his direction. "I offer you my most prized possession. Not as a sign of apology, but as a sign of respect and honour." He offered the sword to her. She looked at Natsu with eyes that asked for an explanation or help.

Natsu simply sighed and shook his head, but the message was clear. '_This is not my decision to make.'_ Looking back at the kneeling form of the berserker, she thought for a moment before exquipping her own sword and taking the one in his hands. "I accept it. But this doesn't mean that I will give a thought about forgiving you."

"I understand," he stood up and face Natsu with his arms extended. Natsu just looked at him with confused eyes. "What? Cuff me and send me back to jail." The man across him nodded and pulled out a pair of magic nullifying cuffs and wrapped them around Bhaltair's wrists. They climbed out of the crater and began to walk towards the nearest Rune Knight outpost. Fortunately, there was one nearby and he was turned over without much resistance.

"Hey Bhaltair," the blonde turned around to face Natsu before entering the wagon. "winter is coming." Bhaltair smiled at his words while Erza and the Rune Knights looked with confusion. He disrupted their trains of thought by coughing loudly and entered the wagon. They watched the wagon ride away before collecting their reward.

Unfortunately, the majority of the reward was spent on repairs to the city due to the destruction that they (mainly Erza though) caused. After paying for the damages, the two went to the train station and purchased a ticket to Magnolia. They didn't even bother going to the hospital since Natsu insisted that all their injuries were healed thanks to her. The train ride was fairly short in Erza's perspective, probably since she was unconscious most of the time. They arrived at Magnolia at about 10 PM, so they decided to go home.

"Hey Natsu, the mission's done; and you know what that means." She looked at him with with puppy dog eyes and Natsu perfectly knew what she wanted.

"Don't you want to do it in the Dragonrealm?"

"Nope." Was her simple reply, and Natsu saw that she wouldn't budge.

"Why?"

"I have my reasons." Natsu sighed loudly as he nodded and mentioned her to follow him.

They went to a clearing near his house and he motioned Erza to stand in the centre of it. "What do you want to learn?" She kept quiet as she was deep in thought.

"I want to start with your signature move 7 years ago, the _**Fire Dragon's Roar**_." Natsu nodded at her.

"As of right now, it's the _**Fire Dragon King's Roar**_, since Igneel was the Fire Dragon King when he taught me. What you want to do first is to breath in deeply while channeling your magic into your lungs. If you do this correctly, your chest should feel warmer than usual. Afterwards, force out the magic through your mouth as you exhale. Don't be discouraged if you don't get it at first, I never got it on the first try." She nodded and began to follow his instructions. After her first 3 tries, she got frustrated and she stomped her feet at the ground rather childishly.

"Why did I even suggest that you should teach me? I could perform Dragon Slayer Spells just fine when I fought against Bhaltair." Natsu chuckled at her immature behaviour.

"When you fought against Bhaltair, all the spells you used were out of pure instinct. You never knew what you were doing, you just threw spells at him hoping for the best. Also, inexperienced dragon slayers are one of the most unstable mages because they have no control over their own magic. I am teaching you not just because you personally asked me to, I'm teaching you for your own safety. Now, try it again." She reluctantly repeated her previous actions. Finally, at her 12th try, she was able to recreated Natsu's _**Fire Dragon King's Roar, **_although the the stream of fire was small compared to his.

She looked at him with a grin that threatened to split her face in half. Natsu responded by giving her a grin of his own. Then he was tackled to the ground by a giggling Erza. She planted her lips to his, Natsu looked at her for moment to process what just happened before returning that kiss and the two engaged in a passionate lip lock. When they broke apart, Natsu had a dreamy look in his eyes while Erza had a sultry smile plastered on her beautiful face. She leaned forward and whispered into his ear.

"Since you were so patient with me, a reward must be given." Natsu caught her message; he stood up, grabbed her hand and ran into his house in a span of 3 seconds. If one were to come into the house at that moment, they would suspect that it was haunted due to the cries of pain being heard. The next day, the sun's rays assaulted Natsu's and Erza's eyes causing them to wake up.

"Morning Erza." She smiled brightly and kissed him.

"Morning Natsu." Erza requipped into her usual clothing before leaving the room with Natsu right behind her. They ate another hearty breakfast together, this time it was plain ol' noodles, before making their way to the guild. As expected of Fairy Tail, a brawl was occurring. They began to traverse the guild, looking for Gildarts; and when they found him, he was in a fist fight with Gray.

"Gildarts-san." the orange haired S-class mage stopped his punch mid swing to turn around to meet Natsu. His eyes widened when he noticed that part of his right arm was missing.

"**WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM?!**" the brawling immediately stopped and everyone looked at Natsu with concerned eyes. Natsu simply laughed off their reaction before recalling the events that occurred during the fight up until he was unconscious.

"So how did you capture Bhaltair then? 'Cuz you were pretty beat up?" Gajeel's question was directed towards Erza. The scarlet knight smirked at him before telling her own tale. Everyone was speechless at her story.

"Wait, you managed to activate Dragon Force before I did, that's so cool!" Levy praised Erza with sparkling eyes, causing Erza to blush from embarrassment. Natsu looked at Gajeel from the corner of his eye with a triumphant smirk on his face.

"It's not much of a big deal Levy."

"What do you mean? Dragon Force is when a dragon slayers are at their strongest and you say is not much of a big deal? Of course it's a big deal!" Levy began to start a full-scale rant towards Erza while Natsu was conversing with Gildarts.

"Gildarts-san, can you tell me where to get a prosthetic arm like yours?"

"I got this arm at Crocus, as well as my leg. But there's a problem with getting an arm like this."

"What is it?"

"Since you also have access to lightning dragon slayer magic and you may have to fight lightning mages or lightning dragons, you may get shocked more often than not."

"Oh, I have never thought of that." Gildarts and the guild fell to the ground, unable to comprehend that Natsu is still pretty stupid. "Looks like I'm going to have to ask Porlyusica."

He walked out of the guild alone and made his way towards the pink-haired hermit's home.

* * *

_MEANWHILE WITH ERZA_

"Hey Erza," the red-haired dragon knight turned around to meet her old rival, Mira, "From my understanding, First-Gen dragon slayers and their mates tap into Dragon Force through having an overflowing amount of magic. You were injured and fairly exhausted yet somehow you achieved Dragon Force. How is that?"

Before Erza could answer Levy spoke up for her, "Good question Mira. Erza achieved Dragon Force for two reasons: through her emotions and by using her Dragon Slayer Magic for the first time. When a person becomes a dragon slayer's mate, they receive the physical characteristics and abilities of the dragon slayer, yes?". A collection of nods from the crowd showed that they understood what they were talking about, "The physical characteristics show-up a few hours after the marking, the inherited magic however, remains dormant until the dragon slayer releases a seal."

"Erza, you said that you felt something snap in your mind when you laid eyes on Bhaltair, correct?" Erza nodded in confirmation. "That was Natsu releasing the seal that made the dragon slayer magic dormant. Usually the mate gains a large boost in magic, but your emotions were put into the mix. Natsu may have told you that an inexperienced dragon slayer is very dangerous due to their instability. Emotions are the main cause of said instability. Until you could at least be adept in dragon slayer magic, your emotions control the intensity and strength of the magic. That is what caused you to get into Dragon Force."

Everyone was quiet for a while, for they were digesting the information. Although, Erza perfectly knew this since Natsu and her talked about this during their walk towards the guild.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking through the forest, Natsu sees the door. He went up to it and knocked 1, 2, 3 times before she answered.

"What do you want? I don't have the time for you humans."

"Something along the lines of an artificial limb." She sighed loudly before letting him in. For the next few hours, Natsu was heard screaming as Porlyusica gave him an artificial arm. After the procedure, Natsu was unconscious from the pain and Porlyusica contacted Makarov of his location. Moments later, Erza arrived at her home and picked up the unconscious Natsu to send him to his home. Natsu was unconscious for 2 days and during those two days, Erza never left his side except when she ate or when she needed to use the ladies' room.

"_*groan*_ Where am I?" Natsu tried to sit up but was pushed down by Erza.

"You're at home, I got you here after getting your new arm." At the mention of his new arm, Natsu looked at his right arm to see scar where the border of the artificial part of the arm arm met the rest of his arm. "Rest for a while, you've been asleep for two days."

Natsu got a good look at his mate and he wasn't pleased. She had dark eye bags, her hair was a mess, and she looked like she could collapse at any moment. He knew how deeply she cared for him, but this was idiotic on her part.

"Erza, when did you last sleep?"

"A few hours ago, in fact I just woke up." She answered a tad too quickly, indicating that she was being defensive about the topic.

"Don't lie to me Erza." Natsu raised his voice slightly, and it kind of scared her.

"Fine… I haven't slept for the entire time you were unconscious." Natsu glared at her, making her visibly flinch.

"Erza, I love you and I know that you love me too. I also know that we always watch each other's backs. But on occasions like these, where I am not in any danger, you need to worry about yourself." Erza weakly gave him a loving smile before finally letting sleep overcome her. She tilted forwards and landed into Natsu's arms, who placed her on the bed and let her sleep in peace.

He got changed and went to the guild, surprised that barely anyone was present. The only person at the guild currently was Master Makarov, who was in his office. Natsu went to his office and saw that Fairy Tail's master working on something in a small book

"Hello, master. Why isn't anyone here?" The old man looked up from his papers before answering.

"Erza hasn't told you?" Natsu shook his head in response. "Must've slipped her mind. Anyway, no one's here because we preparing for the Fantasia Parade. He have chosen again to host it. Oh, and there's a inter-guild competition, the members who could please the spectators the most receives a little prize."

"I see." Natsu's competitive spirit flared and his eyes showed his excitement. "I'm all fired up!" He then immediately left Makarov's office to begin his preparations.

"This Fantasia Parade is going to be the best." Makarov smiled to himself as he resumed working on his float design for the parade.

* * *

***Berserker's Rage Side Effect: the mage under the effects of the Beserker's rage will have the passive effects of the magic quadrupled but will lose control over their bodies. They will go into a state of bloodlust that can only be stopped through death, magic exhaustion or being knocked unconscious.**

* * *

**(03.07.2015) MADE SOME CHANGES AND EDITED SOME PARTS.**

**A/N: (NOTE TO SELF, DON'T ANGER ERZA... AFTER I WROTE THIS, SHE JUMPED OUT OF THE LAPTOP AND BEGAN TO PUMMEL ME FOR MAKING NATSU RECEIVE A LIFE THREATENING INJURY). FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER, IT'S THE PREPARATION AND EXECUTION OF THE FANTASIA PARADE, WITH A FEW SURPRISES ON THE WAY.**

**THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE BEE PATIENT FOR THIS CHAPTER TO BE PUBLISHED. REMEMBER TO RATE AND REVIEW GUYS, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH YOUR REVIEWS MEAN TO ME (UNLESS YOU YOURSELF ARE AN AUTHOR OF FANFICTION). IF YOU SEE ANY ERRORS, WHETHER LOGICAL OR GRAMMATICAL PLEASE PM ME AND I WILL TRY TO FIX IT ASAP. REMEMBER, CHAPTERS MAY COME LESS FREQUENTLY AND I'M SORRY FOR THAT, BUT I'M A FAIRLY BUSY PERSON WITH SCHOOLWORK, GAMING, AND OTHER ACTIVITES PLAGUING MY SCHEDULE. I HOPE YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND.**

_**Das2Eazy Signing Off**_


	9. The Fantasia Parade

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

Natsu rushed home and began to work on his part for the Fantasia Parade. He quickly, but quietly, went to his room and took a blank notebook so that he could sketch his ideas. He moved to the kitchen and began to work. The dragon slayer was so caught up in his work that the night passed by and he never moved from his spot. On that day, Erza woke up from her slumber.

"_*groan*_ How long have I been asleep?" _*grumble*_ She got off from her - no, their - bed and made her way to the kitchen. Boy, was she surprised when she saw that the entire kitchen floor was littered with crumpled balls of paper. In the centre of the room, where the kitchen table lay, was Natsu's paperless notebook. However, Natsu was nowhere to be found in the room.

"Natsu?" Erza called out. Her response was groan from Natsu, who was right behind her and she turned around to greet him. She tried her best not to laugh at his current image. His eyes had bags under them, some parts of his arms were covered in sketches of unrecognizable figures, and his fore head was bright red. "Good morning... What happened to you?"

"Oh, nothing. Just stayed up all night to make plans for the Fantasia Parade." Natsu spoke in a tired, yet casual tone before sipping his coffee. Erza giggled at him.

"I already made plans for the parade." Then she walked away, leaving Natsu in a semi-catatonic state with his jaw hanging open.

"**WHAT!**" Natsu nearly dropped his mug as he snapped back to reality. "An entire night of ceaseless planning, all for nothing." He lamented and at the same moment, Erza returned with a notebook in her hand. She handed it to him.

"Here, go over them and pick one you like. I had a lot of ideas and all of them are there."

"Thanks, when did you find the time to do this?"

"When you were unconscious, duh," Natsu pouted then stuck out his tongue at her, and she mimicked him, "I'll go make some breakfast while you go over those, I assume that you never ate all night long."

_*grumble*_

Erza and Natsu shared a laugh before cleaning up the kitchen. Afterwards, she began to prepare their breakfast as Natsu went over Erza's sketches for the Fantasia Parade. Let's just say Natsu was at the edge of insanity from containing his laughter when he saw Erza's sketches. Fortunately for him, Erza didn't notice his teary eyes, puffed cheeks and red face since she was cooking. Natsu regained his composure just as Erza turned around with their meals in her hand.

"So," She began as she sat down opposite from him, "which one would you like to do?" Putting her horrid artistic abilities aside, her ideas weren't too shabby. They ranged from them being on a float while showcasing their strongest magic/armour to sparring in a moving glass dome with magic seals on it to prevent its - and the town's - destruction. However, she forgot something important that rendered most of her ideas impossible: she has a severe case of motion sickness.

"You forgot that you could get motion sick, so most of these are impossible for you." She looked at him in surprise before she drifted into a comically depressed state of mind.

"You're right," Erza was pouting while her left eye was twitching in annoyance, "I can't do most of them since I get motion sick." Then something clicked in her mind which caused her to snap out of her depressed state.

"**YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CAUSED THIS! IT'S YOUR FAULT!**" The knightess roared at the dragon slayer, surprising him and caused his fatigue to disappear. Instead of retorting back at her with equal vigor, he simply shook his head and chuckled at her before speaking in a level voice.

"First of all, you asked to be marked and perfectly knew of the possible consequences. Second, how am I to be blamed for this when I never knew that you would inherit an annoyance that I cured? Finally, calm down. You might burn the house down." Erza looked at him with confused eyes before she followed his gaze and saw that her hands were on fire. Unfortunately, she was still holding their food.

"Come on!" She doused the fires and the stench of burnt rice and meat filled the air. Due to their enhanced sense of smell, it affected them more than a normal human. Her nose scrunched up in a cute way and her eyes teared up when she caught a whiff of the burnt meals. Erza quickly ran to the sink to dispose of the spoiled breakfast. She returned with another set of bowls and set them down before eating with Natsu.

"So when's the parade?" Natsu asked right after he swallowed a mouthful of rice, "I forgot to ask the master."

"A week from now. By the way, the theme for this year's parade is - "

"Show of Force, I know." Natsu interrupted her, "Figured it out based off of your sketches."

"Okay, but why were you planning for the parade when you had no idea what the theme was?" Erza questioned him, and he looked at her blankly before answering.

"I have no idea," Erza facepalmed as Natsu took a thinking pose, "I just felt like doing it."

"Anyways, we've went waaaay off topic. Back to my original question, did you make a choice for the parade?" Natsu grinned at her as he flipped to a page in her notebook and showed her the sketches. She studied the sketches for a moment before a grin made its way to her face.

"Wise choice."

* * *

_TIME SKIP ONE WEEK; THE DAY OF THE PARADE_

As the sun sets, Magnolia begins to light up; both figuratively and literally. The citizens began to flood the streets as the parade draws near and their anticipation increases. Also, lanterns of various shapes and sizes lit up which gave out a cheerful atmosphere. On each and every building, ribbons and flags with Fairy Tail's insignia hang on the windows.

"**ATTENTION MAGNOLIA, WE ARE NOW INITIATING THE GILDARTS SHIFT.**" A winged creature with a trumpet as a mouth hollered and moments later, the bells of the Kardia Cathedral began to ring. While the bells rang, the ground began to shake and chunks of Magnolia began to move apart and/or rise. After the phenomenon has ceased, there was a large pathway from the Eastern edge of Magnolia all the way to Fairy Tail's guild building. There was complete silence for a moment as the crowd stared eastern border from the edges of the platforms or in the buildings nearby.

_PLAY FAIRY TAIL MAIN THEME (_**A/N: Loop the song if it ends quickly)**

The crowd cheered as the first float came into the view. Its bottom had a sand-like colour it and wooden barrels were strewn all through out the float. At the back of the float, a small saloon with dark brown walls, a roof made out of planks, saloon doors, 4 tinted windows and a sign on the roof that read "Fairy Tail's Cowboys" with the Fairy Tail insignia painted in black on it. The doors opened, and out came the Connell Family.

Bisca was wearing a tan button-up shirt with an unbuttoned brown vest on it, tight brown shorts that ended right above her knees, mid-cut black boots, and her signature hat. Her bright green hair was tied up in a braid. In her hands was the rifle that she used for the Miss Fairy Tail competition from the last time they hosted the Fantasia Parade. Alzack was wearing a black trenchcoat over a black vest and a white button-up shirt with a black tie, black pants, black boots with spurs and a black hat that matches looked like Bisca's. On either side of his hips, a revolver was holstered. Asuka outshined her parents when it came to attire, as most people would think with children. She was wearing the dress of saloon girls, with a blue top and black skirt, a pair of mid-calf black boots, black stockings and a blue feather on her head. Her hair was in a small bun.

The couple looked at each other as if having a silent conversation as Asuka was waving to the cheering people. They nodded to each other and stepped to the edge of the float with their daughter only 2 feet behind them.

"_**Guns Magic: 25mm Vulcan Cannon"**_ Multiple guns materialized behind them and formed a circle in front of them. Then the weapons glowed before converging together to form twin gatling cannons. The night sky was lit up by the tracers of bullets being spewed out of the barrels at a rate of 4000 rounds per minute. All eyes were at the sky and were impressed at the spectacle. Afterwards, the crowd cheered and the Connell family bowed as their float moved on.

Up next was a float split between an angelic and devilish theme. On the left-hand side of the float, the floor was white with gold engravings of angels and a white background with a golden gate encrusted with crystals on it. On the other side, the floor was a very dark shade of purple with lava flowing in small streams. The background was of black stalagmites and stalactites with a lava waterfall at the back. At the border of the two sides, a Fairy Tail symbol with orange and red colours can be seen.

The occupants of the float are none other than the Terranos Siblings. Maria Terranos was wearing a beautiful white dress that reached the floor, white gloves that reached her elbows, and a delicate looking crystal necklace. The bodice had an intricate diagram of a golden flame at the centre and showed off a small portion of her cleavage while the skirt was gold at the edges. Her crystal necklace had a golden chain and the crystal was in the form of a dragon head with a Fairy Tail symbol at the forehead and bird's wings at the sides. Her red and orange hair was loose and a few strands were in her face, amplifying her beautiful looks.

Her brother was a different story. He was wearing a black leather vest with red trimmings over a torn red shirt that showed off a bit of his toned body, as well as black pants with parts torn at the knees and black boots. His hair was as messy as Natsu`s. All in all, his costume was simpler than his sister's. A few tick marks were visible on his forehead as he tried to fight the urge to beat up the men who were catcalling his sister.

"Are you ready?" Hansuke asked her as he turned his head towards Maria.

"Of course, I'd hate to be unprepared when you aren't big brother." He smirked at her before closing his eyes with Maria mimicking his actions.

"_**Wings of the Hellfire Dragon King/Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen!**_" Suddenly, dragon wings made out of red and black fire materialized on Hansuke's back. The same wings materialized on his sister's back, but they were made out of white and gold fire. They took to the air and went beside each other before preparing their spell.

"_**Hellfire Dragon King's/Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen's," **_They chanted at the same time as balls of fire formed in their hands. As the balls increased in size, they cocked their hands back and merged the fireballs. "_**Retribution!**_"

They thrust their hands towards the sky and the fireball followed the motion. When it left their hands, it had a bluish tint and roughly had a diameter of 25 feet. As it got farther from their position, the pair prepared another attack. Their cheeks puffed while they inhaled very deeply.

"_**Hellfire Dragon King's/Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen's Roar!" **_ a torrent of red and black fire escaped Hansuke's mouth and from Maria's mouth escaped a torrent of white and gold fire. Both streams of fire were headed at the direction of the large, blue fireball at an alarming speed. Within a few seconds, the streams and fireball impacted and a large explosion occurred about 100 feet from above the guild building. Many of the spectators' jaws were agape at the demonstration of raw magical power and the catcalling immediately stopped as the males began to fear invoking the Hellfire Dragon King Slayer's wrath. The duo descended to their float and waved good-bye as it moved on with the crowd cheering loudly.

The next float belonged to Cana Alberona. She was dressed in an attire consisting of a white shirt that ended just below her black bikini top, black capri pants and short heel sandals. Her long, wavy brown hair was put up in a ponytail. The float was fairly simple, the floor was painted black and behind Cana was a large statue of the Fairy Tail symbol. Good thing that her performance made up for the bare bones design style.

The card mage took two decks of cards from her pouch and threw them in the air. As the cards fell down, she grabbed 5 and looked at them for a moment before throwing them at a floating target 10 feet away from her that materialized from a card she previously threw. The cards were embedded at the bullseye of the target. She then grabbed 20 other cards that were still falling and threw five each above, below and on each side of the target. At first, many thought she missed, but the cards levitated in a circle formation at their locations.

"_**Cards Magic: Elemental Crucifix!**_" Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind erupted from the cards above below, left and right of the target, respectively. When they hit, the target exploded, but the 5 cards were fine. Unless you consider 4 cards glowing from the overflowing magic fine. For the fifth card, Cana unleashed a _**Cards Magic: Lightning Bolt **_at it to charge it with magic. She then extended her hand and the five glowing cards flew into it.

"_**Cards Magic: Devastation!"**_ She threw her cards into the air and a beam of multiple colours shot up into the air, clearing some clouds. Her float moved on as everyone present was screaming their lungs out in support of Cana. After her was Juvia Lockser and Gray Fullbuster. Juvia was wearing an elegant light blue dress underneath a dark blue cardigan, light blue crystal high heels, blue gloves and a gold crown encrusted with sapphires atop her head. Her hair was in a bun with two strands framing her face. Gray was wearing a blue tunic with gold trimmings, a dark blue cape with fur trimmings, tan pants, black mid-calf boots, and an identical crown to Juvia. For once, his hair wasn't a mess and was slicked back.

Their float was consisted of an ice castle with a shallow moat around it and the floor had an identical colour to the castle's ice. There was a bridge right in front of the castle and that's where the two are situated. The both of them held hands as they prepared their spell.

"_**Unison Raid!**_" Geysers of water erupted from the moat into the sky. As the moats increased in size, it began to freeze from the bottom to the top. When the geysers completely froze, the geysers exploded, sending shards of ice of various sizes in all directions. Good thing, there were runes on the platforms that protected the spectators. After the geyser exploded, the crowd was in for a large treat. Gray pulled Juvia close to him and kissed her passionately on the lips; Juvia simply melted into the kiss as the float moved on.

Then came the Strauss siblings. Their float had 3 levels, with Elfman at the bottom and Mira at the top. The floors were of different designs. The bottom floor was designed to be a cave, as wells as the floor above it. However there were slight differences. Elfman's floor was pitch black with a few stalagmites and stalactites while Lisanna's cave was brown and clear of any spikes. Mira's floor was bare, save for the pillars on each corner of the floor. Each one of them was in their most powerful takeover.

For Elfman, it was his Beast Soul Take Over; a large creature with a white mane, maroon fur, green abs and pectorals, pointed ears and canines, striped horns that began from the forehead, and spikes on each shoulder. Lisanna was in her Rabbit Take Over; a HUGE purple rabbit. Mira was in her Sitri Soul Take Over; she grew taller, has longer and scruffier hair, has two spiky protrusions extending from each side of her face, wears a white and blue short sleeve trenchcoat, armoured gauntlets at the forearms, and long skin-tight pants with blue markings.

Mira flew into the air carrying two large rectangular pieces of blue lacrima with the use of her flames. These blue lacrima happen to be used by the Rune Knights as a means of determining the strength of a spell or the physical strength of a person. When she was far enough, she threw the lacrima towards her siblings. Elfman destroyed the lacrima headed in his direction by weakly backhanding it. Lisanna jumped towards hers and headbutted it. After destroying his, Elfman went picked up a black lacrima - the stronger variation of the blue one - disguised as a stalagmite and threw it at his levitating sister.

"_**Hellfire Beam!**_" A ball of energy appeared on Mira's hands and when she extended her hands, the balls of energy spewed out purple and black coloured flames towards the obsidian coloured lacrima. When the flames hit the lacrima, it engulfed it before dying down, revealing that the lacrima has disintegrated. She flew back to her post as the float continued on its path towards the guild building.

One of the dragon slayer couples came up next. They were Gajeel Redfox and Levy McGarden. Gajeel was dressed in a black leather jacket filled with studs and zippers over a black shirt, black cargo pants and black combat boots. His hair remained the same while a black headband rested on his forehead. Levy wore almost the exact same attire. Black leather jacket over a black shirt, yet her shirt ended right under her chest and showcased her flat stomach; black tight pants, black boots, and a black headband while her hair was in a ponytail with two strands framing her face. They weren't on a float for obvious reasons.

"_**Karma Demon:...**_" Both of their arms glowed in a bright green light as they jumped to the walls closest to them, "_**Iron God Sword!**_" The light receded and their arms were replaced by a gigantic sword. They slammed their blades to the ground and dust and debris erupted from their location to the sides guild building, which effectively scared the other mages ahead of them - except for Asuka, who simply laughed it off. Their arms turned back to normal as they walked away, with Levy being carried by Gajeel bridal style whilst kissing.

Afterwards, it was the Raijinshuu's time to shine. All of them wore their regular attire, finding no reason to dress up for the parade. Their float was also fairly simple: a circular white floor with a red Fairy Tail insignia with a lightning bolt in it.

"_**Dark Ecriture: Darkness!"**_ Freed inscribes runes on himself in order to transform into a demon. "_**Darkness Flare Bomb!**_" Demonic Freed creates a sphere of dark magic and throws it into the air.

"_**Fairy Ray!**_" Evergreen releases a ray consisted of concentrated fairy dust towards the dark magic sphere along with Bickslow's _**Baryon Formation**_. The sphere exploded and a soft shower of purple and gold fairy dust began to fall from the explosion's epicentre. However, the Raijinshuu were outshined Laxus Dreyar's performance.

Laxus could be seen walking a fair distance behind their float. Suddenly, he stops and then activates his _**Lightning Dragon Slayer Mode**_. As he increases in size, he smirks at the crowd before going all out.

"_**Lightning Dragons' Heavenward Halberd!**_" Laxus hurls multiple halberd-shaped lightning bolts towards the sky. "_**Lightning Dragon's Roar!**_" He rears his head and roars towards the sky, the size of the roar increasing to the point that the roar's diameter matches the float's.

"**NATSU! I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TOP THAT!" **Laxus turned towards the border as he said those words. After a few moments of silence and stillness, the lightning dragon slayer made his way to the guild building.

Then came our favourite dragon slayer couple: Natsu Dragneel and Erza Scarlet. They were walking in their usual attire for while waving to the crowd, which were mostly surprised since they also knew about Natsu's death but not his revival. When they reached the halfway point, both of them glowed in a bright light.

"_**Requip!**_"

"_**Form Change: Dragon!**_" Both of them said at the same time. Natsu increased in size and dropped on fours as he transformed. When the light receded, Natsu was in the form of the dragon that the Fairy Tail mages met while confronting Oracion Seis II (read Chapter 6 for the description). Erza on the other hand was in her new armour that Natsu gave her while standing in front of the large dragon. The chestplate was blood-red, had their mating mark engraved at the centre, and ended mid-stomach. At the back of the chestplate, black spikes went down the centre, in line with her spinal column. Her shoulder pads were of red dragon heads facing outwards. The gauntlets were also of similar colour and started from the elbows and ended at the wrists. Spikes were in a line on both gauntlets, perpendicular to her pinky (think Batman's gauntlets). Red greaves started from her knees and ended at the ankles with her black boots underneath said greaves. Her thighs were covered by red plated armour. The Dragon's Blade was sheathed on her left hip. Erza's beautiful face was covered by an angled red helmet with a dragon's face engraved on it. Any body part not covered by armour was protected by an undershirt made out of dragon scales, black ones.

Erza flew in the air thanks to the _**Wings of the Fire Dragon King**_ that Natsu taught her in the Dragon Realm in preparation for the Parade. They could've practiced more spells, but because of Mira's ranting, Makarov banned going to the Dragon Realm for the Parade; thus, Erza and Natsu were only able to practice for 15 days in the Dragon Realm rather than the 1 and a half months they planned.

Natsu had an obsidian coloured lacrima in his jaws, which he threw in the air. Which Erza effortlessly destroyed with the use of the _**Brilliant Flame of the Fire Dragon**_. Erza landed on his back as Natsu simply unleashed a roar towards the guild building, narrowly missing it by 3 feet. The roar had a diameter equivalent to Natsu's head, which is pretty large. Then Natsu felt a shiver up his spine, probably because a certain Wizard Saint saw the near miss.

Said Wizard Saint was walking calmly towards the both of them… While in his Titan Form. Makarov had a few tick marks on his head and Natsu knew he was in deep trouble. Instead of chasing after him, Makarov gave the dragon a look that said '_I'll deal with you later'_. The dragon weakly turned around and walked away while Erza requipped a Fairy Tail flag on a pole. Makarov continued walking, but with his right arm raised in the Fairy Tail salute.

'_I pity you Natsu..'_ the melancholic voice of his mate spoke in his head.

'_Shut up!'_ Natsu snapped back, and the remainder of the trek towards the guild building was spent in silence… Except for the telepathic giggling of Erza Scarlet.

* * *

_LATER….._

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHA"** Laughter could be heard from the Fairy Tail guild building as the mages were witnessing Natsu's punishment: dressing up as a maid for the remainder of the night. Not even the stoic Freed Justine could hold his laughter.

" Haha… Very funny master." Obviously Natsu wasn't pleased at the punishment. Makarov merely shrugged at the glare Natsu gave him.

"Think of this as a reckoning for your previous acts of destruction." Natsu sighed before sitting down beside his laughing mate.

"Hey, Natsu.." Natsu turned to face a grinning Laxus, "Could you clean my house for me, it's a mess." Fairy Tail erupted in another fit of laughter as Natsu's faced matched Erza's hair in both embarrassment and anger.

"All right you brats!" The laughter died down as everyone faced Makarov, "As you know, we have an interguild competition regarding the parade." Everyone nodded.

"After the parade; Macao, Romeo, Reedus, Wakaba, Warren, Kinana, Jet, and Droy walked around and collected previously handed out ballots to indicate who the crowd loved. And I have the results." Makarov pulled out an envelope from his wizard saint jacket, "On third place was Juvia and Gray… On second place was Gajeel and Levy….. and our winner is…." Everyone leaned towards the master in anticipation, except for the previously mentioned mages because they are a little depressed at losing.

"**NATSU AND ERZA!**" The dragonslayers jumped up and started to rub it in at other competitors. "For your prize, the guild has to do whatever you tell them to do for the next 3 hours."

The both of them looked at each other with mischievous grins on their faces as everyone else shivered at the thought of what could happen to them. A minute later, they faced the crowd, the grin never leaving their faces.

"For the next 3 hours, we would like the guild to….." Erza spoke while many of the guild members mentally prepared themselves for 3 hours of horror, "**PARTY LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW!" **Everyone looked at them for a moment as if they're crazy before erupting in cheers. Beer was drunk, fists were thrown and furniture was broken; but Makarov didn't care since this was what the winners wanted and went along with it.

* * *

_1 AND A HALF HOURS LATER…._

The guild darkened as spotlights came to life at the stage at the front. Musical instruments materialized out of no where before four people came up to the stage. They were Natsu, Laxus, Gajeel and Gray. Everyone gaped at them as they knew what was going to happen: the three of them were going to perform.

Gajeel was dressed in almost the exact same way he was in the parade, except that his jacket's sleeves were torn; thus making his jacket a vest. Natsu wore a red tight fitting shirt that revealed his build to everyone, which was identical to Laxus, black pants and black boots. Gray was wearing a white shirt under a blue denim vest, skinny jeans and brown boots. Laxus was wearing his usual attire, minus the headphones and fur jacket.

Laxus took the microphone, Gajeel picked up the guitar, Gray picked up the bass and Natsu sat down behind the drums. Natsu tapped his drumsticks one, two, three times before..

(**A/N: Play "Kickstart My Heart")**

"_When I get high_

_I get high on speed_

_Top fuel funny car's_

_A drug for me_

_My heart, my heart_

_Kickstart my heart"_

The Raijinshuu stared at Laxus with wide eyes as well as everyone else, surprised that he could get his voice to sound like that. Many of the older men however, looked at him blankly as memories of their teenage days returned. Levy began to cheer for Gajeel as she was impressed with his guitar skills.

"_Always got the cops_

_Coming after me_

_Custom built bike doing 103_

_My heart, my heart_

_Kickstart my heart"_

The older men broke out of their stupor and hastily put on leather jackets as they began to fist-pump to the song, Makarov included.

_Ooh, are you ready girls?_

_Ooh, are you ready now?_

Fog began to form on the stage due to Gray channeling his magic.

"_Ooh, yeah_

_Kickstart my heart_

_Give it a start_

_Ooh, yeah, baby_

_Ooh, yeah_

_Kickstart my heart_

_Hope it never stops_

_Ooh, yeah, baby"_

At every '_Ooh' and 'yeah'_, a pillar of fire erupted from Natsu. Seeing their impressive musical talents, everyone began to go nuts over this song. Erza, Levy and Juvia were seriously fangirling over their lovers, trying their hardest grab them, but were stopped by the 'guards' aka Happy and Pantherlily.

"_Skydive naked_

_From an aeroplane_

_Or a lady with a_

_Body from outerspace_

_My heart, my heart_

_Kickstart my heart"_

The commotion briefly stopped after the first two verses before everyone went hyper again.

_Say I got trouble_

_Trouble in my eyes_

_I'm just looking for _

_Another good time_

_My heart, my heart_

_Kickstart my heart_

'_Looking for another good time, huh?'_ the girls thought in unison while looking at their boyfriends with a peculiar glint in their eyes.

_Yeah, are you ready girls?_

_Yeah, are you ready now?_

_Ooh, yeah_

_Kickstart my heart_

_Give it a start_

_Ooh, yeah, baby_

_Ooh, yeah_

_Kickstart my heart_

_Hope it never stops_

_Ooh, yeah, baby_

"**THIS SONG IS MAN!**"

"**AYE, SIR!**" Everyone agreed to Elfman since they perfectly knew what he was implying.

_When we started this band_

_All we needed, needed was a laugh_

_Years gone by..._

_I'd say we've kicked some ass_

'_Years?'_ everyone thought. Don't you love how people take song lyrics seriously?

_When I'm enraged_

_Or hittin' the stage_

_Adrenaline rushing_

_Through my veins_

_And I'd say we're still kickin' ass_

"**TRUTH!**" Everyone hollered at the four musicians.

_Ooo, ahh, kickstart my heart_

_Hope it never stops_

_And to think, we did all of this..._

_To rock_

"_Ooh, yeah_

_Kickstart my heart_

_Give it a start_

_Ooh, yeah, baby_

_Ooh, yeah_

_Kickstart my heart_

_Hope it never stops_

_Ooh, yeah, baby"_

_(solo)_

"**I LOVE YOU GAJEEL!**" Levy screamed at the top of her lungs as he shredded that guitar.

"_Ooh, yeah_

_Kickstart my heart_

_Give it a start_

_Ooh, yeah, baby_

_Ooh, yeah_

_Kickstart my heart_

_Hope it never stops_

_Ooh, yeah, baby"_

_Ok boys,_

_Let's rock this house_

"**I LOVE YOU NATSU!**" Erza screamed at Natsu as he was doing his solo. When Natsu slammed at the drums for the last time, a wave of fire erupted from him and cleared the fog. The four of them gathered at the front and bowed down before three of them were tackled down by their girlfriends. Their faces were peppered with kisses as Laxus backed away with a smile to leave them with them devices.

* * *

_THIRTY MINUTES LATER_

"Hey Gray."

"What's up Natsu?"

"How long have you and Juvia been a couple?" Gray choked on his drink as he wasn't expecting Natsu to ask.

"Yeah Gray, how long?" Erza and Levy now had their eyes trained on the Ice mage. He gulped before answering.

"We've been together about a year longer than Gajeel." Levy and Gajeel's jaws dropped at the revelation.

"Why hide it from us?" Natsu asked.

"Juvia asked Gray-sama to keep it a secret until we felt the time was right." Juvia answered for Gray as she hugged him.

"Hey popsicle." A tick mark grew on Gray's head.

"What do you want junkyard?" Gajeel also grew a tick mark on his head.

"Alright, guys calm -"

"**SHUT UP!**" The two black-haired mages punched Natsu at the same time, sending him flying. Natsu quickly stood up again and punched the both of them, one thing led to another and another before the entirety of Fairy Tail was caught in another brawl.

* * *

_2 HOURS LATER…_

The majority of the guild was unconscious from exhaustion due to the brawl. Natsu and Erza were on their way home until Natsu felt a faint presence. The presence was emitting an aura that was very familiar to Natsu, causing his eyes to widen.

"He's here." His voice was barely audible, but Erza clearly heard it.

"Who?" Before he could answer, he grabbed her and ducked just as a scythe with a chain at the handle flew towards them. She looked up and she was terrified at what she saw. A humanoid figure with a skeletal head surrounded by green energy. It was wearing a ragged trenchcoat, black pants and boots. There were keys hanging on his belt buckle. In one of his hands was the scythe that nearly missed them, in another there was a lantern. Erza could hear cries coming from the lantern, and it scared her.

"Why are you here Thresh?" Erza looked at Natsu in confusion. How does he know this _thing_. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard Thresh speak.

"**To have a little fun."** Thresh flung his scythe at Erza, who was still in shock to dodge. Natsu caught it by the chain and threw it back. Suddenly, the both of them were hit by an explosion from behind. Natsu tried to stand up, but was held down by a staff.

"Karthus?" The staff belonged to an accomplice of Thresh, Karthus. He was wearing a purple and magenta robe with a purple cape. He had a mitre on his head with identical colours to the robe metallic parts. His face was ghostly pale, his hair was white as snow and his eyes were glowing in a teal light. Karthus also seemed to be floating. Natsu couldn't move because Karthus was channeling some sort of paralysis magic from his staff into his body.

"**Hahaha. Watch your mate perish."** Natsu turned to Erza as she was grabbed by Thresh. Erza was writhing like crazy in an attempt to get out of the hook.

"**Relax… Just let go."** Erza then felt tired and her eyes started to get heavy. She didn't notice that Thresh's lantern was open, but Natsu did. When her eyes closed, Natsu could only helplessly watch has her soul was taken from her body.

"**NOOOOOOO!"** Thresh dropped Erza's lifeless body and disappeared as Karthus also did. Natsu hastily got up and ran to Erza. He picked her up and started caressing her cheek as tears began to fall.

"**EEEEEEEEERZAAAAAAAA!"** Natsu roared to the heavens in anguish and pain.

* * *

**A/N: UUGGHHHHHH. THIS FELT WRONG, KILLING ERZA; BUT IT WAS NECESSARY FOR MY FIC. I'M SORRY THAT I HAD TO DO IT... DON'T KILL ME! (NATSU POPS OUT FROM THE SCREEN)**

NATSU:You better bring her back, or so help me I will feed you to the dragons.. Alive

**Me: HEY MAN... OF COURSE I'LL BRING HER BACK. THAT'S A PROMISE! (NATSU GLARES AT ME BEFORE RETURNING BACK).**

**SO YEAH GUYS, THANK YOU FOR BEING VERY PATIENT WITH ME. UNFORTUNATELY, I CAN'T KEEP MY PROMISE OF TWO CHAPTERS WITHIN THE WEEK 'CUZ IT'S A BIT OF A PAIN TO WRITE. I ALSO HAVE TO TWEAK THE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS CHARACTERS' ABILITIES. AND THEN THERE'S THE STRUGGLE TO GET AND MAINTAIN HIGH GRADES FOR SCHOOL, WHICH IS TOP PRIORITY FOR ME. FINALLY, THANK YOU GUYS FOR FOLLOWING THROUGHOUT THIS JOURNEY OF WRITING A FIC. ON THE NEXT CHAPTER: NATSU VS THE 4 HORSEMEN OF THE SHADOW ISLES.**

**THE SONG IN THE FIC IS CALLED: "**Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crue. I don't own the song!

**SO REMEMBER TO RATE AND REVIEW, STAY IN SCHOOL, DON'T DO DRUGS AND LIVE A GOOD LIFE. ALSO...UPLOAD MORE CHAPTERS NAZA AUTHORS! THE NAZA ARMY MUST KEEP ON GOING TO CONVINCE MR. MASHIMA THAT IT IS THE ULTIMATE SHIP****. **

**THAT'S ALL THAT I HAVE TO SAY... _Das2Eazy signing off._**


	10. Natsu Dragneel VS The 4 Horsemen

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA. I ALSO DON'T OWN LEAGUE OF LEGENDS CHARACTERS, RIOT GAMES DOES. THE ONLY THINGS I OWN IN THIS FIC ARE OC'S AND ORIGINAL SPELLS.**

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

All the (conscious) members of Fairy Tail heard Natsu and went running to his location. Gajeel and Wendy were very worried about him since they perfectly knew what caused him to yell Erza's name so loudly and would happen if no one was to comfort him. When they got there Natsu was weeping uncontrollably over Erza's laying body. Wendy slid beside Natsu and hugged him as he wept and violently shook. Everyone kept quiet because they were also hurting at the loss of a good friend. Levy, Mira, Lisanna, and Lucy were crying softly in Gajeel's, their brother's, and Loke's (he used his magic to go to the physical world in order for him to celebrate the Fantasia Parade) chests, respectively.

Finally, Natsu calmed down a bit so that Makarov could ask the important question, "Natsu my boy, who did this? Who killed Erza?"

Natsu faced Makarov with bloodshot eyes before answering in a raspy voice, "Thresh, the Chain Warden; and Karthus, the Deathsinger. Spectral mages from Runeterra."

"Let's get them! They'll pay for taking Erza from us!" Gray said and everyone nodded in support of his statement.

"**NO!**" Natsu exploded, scaring a few mages, "We cannot do that."

"Why?" Wendy asked him, clearly confused of his actions. According to Grandeeney, there were three stages of a dragon's depression: Sorrow, Bloodlust, and Death. He has currently snapped out of the sorrow stage, he should be going nuts about trying to kill the ones who took his mate away from him. Instead, Natsu seemed to be thinking very rationally, a feat that requires a dragonslayer to have tremendous self-control and discipline.

"Years ago, Runeterra and Fiore signed a treaty that prevented any Runterran or Fiore troops from invading each other since Runeterra is being torn apart by a intercontinental war. If we were to attack Thresh and Karthus, it would've been an act of war. This may cause the war from within to cease and for all Runeterrans to join forces and invade Fiore. Even with the 10 Wizard Saints, Dark Guilds, Light Guilds, Fiore Army, Rune Knights and Freelance mages working together; We would still be overrun from the sheer amount of troops and mages that Runeterra has to offer."

"What about the ones who... killed Erza?" Mira had trouble forming the words as she still was unable to grasp that fact that her best friend/rival was dead, "Since they attacked us, wouldn't that also be an act of war on Fiore?"

"Yes, but there is something off here," Mira looked at him with questioning eyes, "There were two representatives from each major city in Runeterra were sent to negotiate for the treaty and sign it. Thresh and Karthus were sent to represent their 'country', the Shadow Isles."

"Meaning?" Laxus was getting impatient and wanted Natsu to get to the point.

"Meaning that I find it odd for those two to break their own rules. That and their choice of targets, Erza and me. Why would the both of them go after us and not go after someone else of a higher social stature or a more prominent threat; for example, the king."

"I see, but what are we supposed to do about them?" Makarov questioned Natsu.

"I'll go to the Shadow Isles and get to the bottom of this. Meanwhile, you guys should tell the king about this and go on the defensive with the army." Natsu turned around and began to walk away.

"If you think you'll be going alone, you're mistaken Natsu." Gray told the dragonslayer while moving towards him. Before he could move 5 steps from his original location, Natsu turned around and grabbed Gray by the neck - because he managed to strip down to his boxers on the way to Natsu.

"Do you know about the many customs and laws of Runeterra? Do you know what Karthus and Thresh are capable of? Do you have any contacts from within to help you get out if things go wrong? If the answer to all three is yes, then you are able to come with me. Since I know that it's not the case for you, _stay here in Fiore_." Natsu said the last part in a low and menacing tone, scaring everyone present at Natsu's sudden change in personality. What he said next caught everyone's attention, "Please, I can't lose another person close to me."

The atmosphere was silent for a long time before Gray finally gave in, "Tch, fine.. But you better get back here in one piece." Natsu silently nodded at the ice mage before moving out to go to Runeterra.

"One more thing," Everyone's ears perked, "Don't bury Erza, not until I arrive." Many were taken back by his rather strange request, but agreed to it anyway.

* * *

_A FEW DAYS LATER_

Natsu stepped of a train that recently arrived at the docks near Demacia. The trip to Runeterra was fairly difficult for he had to traverse the pirate infested waters surrounding the continent using his dragon form, which peaked the interests of many seamen. Then trek across the massive island via train to reach his current location. Wasting no time, he began to make his way towards the docks. When he got there, Natsu began to search for a ship that would take him to the Shadow Isles.

Unfortunately, his quest for a ship and crew willing to take him there reminded him of the time he took the Galuna Island S-class mission years ago. Not even a generous offer of 25 000 gold coins (equivalent to roughly half a million Jewels) could woo anyone to bring the dragon slayer there. After many failed attempts, he finally gave in and went to Shadow Isles by using his Ice Dragon Queen Slayer magic to freeze the water underneath his feet as he ran towards the islands.

Surprisingly, the Shadow Isles were closer than expected, though it was scarier than expected also. The water within a 5 mile radius of the islands were pitch black with wisps of green, yet it was eerily calm. Dark clouds loomed over the islands, giving it an image of eternal darkness. There were three islands located very closely to each other and were pretty much identical in topographical terms.

The smallest of the 3 was elliptical and sandwiched between the two larger islands. Both have a crescent shape, though one was larger than the other. The larger one was to the north of the elliptical island. All of them were covered with dark forestry with a few leaves that were oddly glowing in a soft, parakeet green light. Very few works of human architecture could be seen on the island and the ones present have seen much, much better days.

Natsu jumped about 1000 feet into the air, with the help of his Fire Dragon King Slayer magic, dove for the elliptical island. Once he was about 250 feet from the ground, he ignited his feet and hands in order to land 'Iron Man' style. The moment he landed, he noticed that some things shifted from within the forest. Closing his eyes and sniffing the air, Natsu tried to pinpoint Thresh's location. Unfortunately, some form of magic rendered his sense of smell useless here.

From behind him, he heard the sound of something large moving in armour. He turned around and saw the hulking eight foot tall figure of Mordekaiser, the Master of Metal. It towered over Natsu and carried a very large spiked mace. It was clad in dark gray armour with silver edges and spikes. Red glowing eyes are the only visible body part that can be seen through his helmet. A ragged, purple cape is also part of the metal-man's armour.

"So, the Horseman of Pestilence is the one who greets me to his humble dwelling." Natsu spoke in a sarcastic tone while sneering at Mordekaiser. The large body of armour laughed softly before speaking.

"**That seems to be the case and since you are the first visitor here for a while, a special greeting is required."** The metal-man suddenly swung his mace upwards but with his reflexes, Natsu dodged the mace rather easily by jumping to the side.

"_**Siphon of Destruction!"**_ However, he was not expecting a conic wave of metal shards being released from the master of metal's free hand and head towards his direction. Thinking quickly, Natsu activated his _**Adamantine Dragon King's Scales**_ and took on the attack head on. The force from the wave knocked him back a few feet but thanks to the scales, the only injuries he received were a few bruises.

'_I wonder if I could… Nah..'_ An idea popped into his mind, but he quickly dismissed it as too risky and idiotic. Natsu quickly went on the offensive, freezing his hands and throwing punches at the metal giant, who was trying to hit the agile dragon slayer. The frozen fists weren't meant to make the man beneath the armour freeze since Natsu - and many other people - believe that there is no one within it. They were meant to make the armour brittle so that it could break easily and render him useless. It was working, but only for a short while.

"_**Creeping Death!**_" a blanket of metal erupted from Mordekaiser's body and surrounded him. The shards forced Natsu to fall back - even though his body was protected by Adamantine Scales, his eyes aren't. Hearing some hurried clopping of hooves behind him, Natsu turned around only to duck before a lance could cut his head clean off his body.

The owner of the lance and the source of the clopping hooves was none other than Hecarim, the Shadow of War. A spectral memory of centaurs, creatures with a human upper body connected to where the neck of a horse should be. The human aspect of Hecarim wore an eerie armour with the chestplate shaped like the face of a creature with holes where the jaws are to reveal that the armour had no one in it and with spikes protruding from the back of the chestplate. The pauldrons each had curved upward spikes and a skull located near the rerebrace. It also wore a black and gold gauntlets and gloves that only covered the fingers.

The horse aspect also wore armour. Plated armour covered its back all the way to its croup as well as its flank and barrel. Its shoulders and stifles have skull armour on them. The knees and back of the hocks have spikes protruding from armour that covered the cannons. The face of the Shadow of War was in a wicked smile and its head was the resting place of a helmet with no faceplate and visor; and a spiked comb. A neck wasn't visible below his head, only wisps of greenish energy.

"**Mordekaiser, my friend, why isn't this trespasser dead? Is he giving you trouble?"** The deep and bone-chilling voice of the spectral centaur asked its armour bound ally. The blanket of metal shards that swirled around Mordekaiser dissipated as he answered.

"**As I hate to say it, but yes, I need a bit of help. This trespasser is a little special, he has the blood of dragons."** Hecarim's smile grew bigger at the news.

"**Well then. Let's not keep the dragon-boy waiting."** Hecarim charged towards Natsu in high speeds and readied his lance. When it got close enough, it began to slash repeatedly at Natsu, who took extra care to avoid the lance, fully knowing what it's capable of. His ears twitched as he heard Mordekaiser get closer. The dragon slayer jumped out of the way as the armoured giant slammed his equally gigantic mace to the ground.

Nasu was breathing in a rapid pace, but not too heavily, since adrenaline was being excessively pumped into his bloodstream. Giving himself a moment to calm down, he tried to formulate a plan on how to beat the Horsemen of Pestilence and War in order for him to take back Erza's soul from Thresh.

'_I've got to end it quick before the other Horsemen come and support these guys. I guess I'm going to have to use that"_. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, his sclera, pupils and irises were glowing white with wisps of red and gold escaping them. If Makarov was right there at that moment, he would've been suffocating at the sheer amount of magical power Natsu was emitting.

"_**Dragon's Heart: Stage I!"**_

* * *

_**Magic Lesson:**_

Dragon's Heart is a difficult enhancement Dragon Slayer spell. There are three stages to the Dragon's Heart, the first stage would double their magic container size and increase their physical capabilities. It's almost like Sting's "_**White Drive"**_, but also very different. White Drive increases the power of the dragon slayer's spells, whereas Dragon's Heart: Stage I internally upgrades the dragon slayer's magical container for increased endurance.

The second stage is actually an equivalent to the well-known _**Dragon Force**_, where the dragon slayer would have the equivalent strength to dragons. However, there is a slight difference between the two. Dragon's Heart: Stage II also increases the effectiveness of a dragon slayers already heightened senses and makes them more dragon that human by transforming some of the slayer's body parts.

The final stage of the Dragon's Heart is when the dragon slayer essentially becomes a phoenix. They would have the strength of roughly 5 Dragon Kings and when the spell dies down, the dragon slayer would 'die' in a spectacular way before being reborn from his/her ashes. Only one person has reached the final stage of the Dragon's Heart and they have died over 150 years ago.

There is a catch however. For the first stage, there are no side effects - besides a permanently larger (not by much, about 2% larger) magical container and exhaustion. For the second stage, the dragon slayer would be paralyzed for a few hours after the spell's duration and for the final stage, the dragon slayer would lose all memory of previous relations. The Dragon's Heart is only to be used in dire circumstances because according to dragons, the reckless use of the spells will cause the dragon slayer to lose their mind.

* * *

The two citizens of the Shadow Isles looked at Natsu curiously as he stared them down. Within the span of a blink of an eye, Natsu was in front of the two and was giving them a flurry of punches and kicks, which were powered up by both Ice Dragon Queen and Spirit Fire Dragon King magic. These punches were well aimed and packed a lot of power, and every time one of them counter attacked, he caught the weapon with one hand and punched with the other.

"_**Spirit Icefire Dragon's Roar!**_" Green flames encased in a jagged stream of ice escaped Natsu's mouth and hit the ground between the two. It may seem like a miss, but when it impacted, the ice exploded and sent shards everywhere while the green flames spread out and hit the both of Natsu's opponents.

"_**Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen's Wing Slash!**_" White and gold flames erupted from his arms and extended to the point that it looks like a whip. Natsu jumped in the air and swung his arms in an X-shape. Another large explosion rocked the Shadow Isles as black dust particles blocked Natsu's vision. At the end of his assault, Mordekaiser's armour was missing a few chunks by the breastplate and gauntlets while Hecarim's wisps of energy seemed to be dimmer.

"_**Crystal Dragon Queen's Cell!**_" Natsu punched the ground with both of his crystal encrusted fists and four transparent purplish crystal hemispheres with jagged edges about 12 feet in diameter rose from the ground, two flanking each Runeterran. He brought his hands up and brought them together in a prayer-like fashion, the hemispheres of crystal mimicked his actions. The spheres revealed that no one was inside, much to Natsu's surprise; looking around for an explanation, his eyes rested on the figure of Thresh swinging its scythe playfully with Mordekaiser and Hecarim watching him.

"**It seems that we have underestimated you, Natsu Dragneel.**" a new voice was heard from the shadows of the forest. The owner of the voice was revealed to be Karthus. "**We won't make that mistake again.**"

"_**Wall of Pain!**_" Karthus extended his free hand and transparent obelisks rose from the ground at the edge of the forest clearing, which is where they were fighting. In between the obelisks, teal walls of energy appeared. The obelisks effectively separated Natsu and the 4 Horsemen of the Shadow Isles.

"_**Onslaught of Shadows!"**_ Hecarim rushed through the wall unfazed and behind him, the figures of more spectral centaurs appeared behind him. It then raised its hand and blue wisps of energy began to wrap around it.

"_**Spirit of Dread!**_" A circular area with a powerful aura began to form around Hecarim and follow him wherever he went. Him and the other centaurs began to run around Natsu in a circle, causing him to take on a defensive stance. Natsu felt his strength being drained from him due to the aura.

***BANG***

***BANG***

***BANG***

The centaurs began to hit the blunt end of their lances against the ground. They kept doing it for a few moments before one of them thrust his lance at Natsu. He saw this and parried by hitting the spear upwards. Suddenly, he felt a shift in the wind from behind him and kicked the incoming spear. The pattern of the centaurs stabbing him and Natsu parrying went on until Natsu decided to end the annoyance.

"_**Spirit Fire Dragon King's Fire Pillar!**_" A pillar of green fire erupted from the ground, with Natsu at the epicentre and the centaurs caught in it. The pillar disappeared and an unscathed Natsu is seen standing along with slightly damaged Hecarim, his spectral comrades nowhere to be seen.

"That was fun." Natsu taunted them, "but I was expecting a bit more." At the moment he finished his sentence, he heard the clanking of chains to his right and instinctively twisted his body to dodge the weapon. Then he ducked an armoured fist headed to his face with a little help from his enhanced senses and rolled away. Natsu felt an intense concentration of magic around him and jumped away right before it exploded. The Horsemen were now beginning to work as a unit causing Natsu to switch to the defensive.

"_**Defile!**_" The ground beneath Natsu transformed into a sea of groaning souls. He recoiled in shock and before he could regain his composure, Mordekaiser hit him with the mace which was magically amplified with _**Mace of Spades**_. Natsu was sent flying and before he hit the ground, Thresh grabbed him with the use of the _kusarigama_ (the name of the scythe + chain combo). With a powerful tug, Natsu was pulled towards Thresh who then used the lantern to slam the dragon slayer to the ground. When the dragon slayer stood up, he noticed that he was in cased in a pentagon-shaped box.

"_**Requiem!"**_ Natsu looked upwards with wide eyes to see a beam of teal light focusing on him. he tried to escape the box, but to no avail for the box was made of pure energy. Seconds after those words were said, the light intensified and a powerful force from the light caused an explosion in the box. The box dissipated and the dust cloud spread throughout the clearing. A burst of Wind Magic blew away the dust cloud to reveal Natsu with _**Crystal Dragon Queen's Scales**_ activated and his hands behind his back.

"That was a close one," He gave them a feral grin before continuing, "but it's gonna take a lot more than that to stop me from taking back Erza." To the surprise of the Runterrans, the hands behind his back were channeling magic, water on the left and fire on the right. Natsu brought his hands together and a ridiculously large amount of steam was produced, cutting off the Runeterrans' field of vision.

The island was deathly quiet for the first few moments before Natsu attacked his first and most important target, Karthus. The Lich had no indicator of a crystal blade cutting its staff and necronomicon in half. The moment the fragments fell to the ground, its body exploded in pain as a million cuts began to scatter all over its body. It was going to scream out to alert its companions, but was unable to as Natsu covered his mouth and slammed him into a tree.

"_**Spirit Fire Drive!**_" Natsu erupted in green flames and began to hit Karthus with renewed vigor. Two left hooks, one uppercut, a roundhouse kick to the solar plexus, a tornado back kick to the chest and a 'Shoryuken' to the chin were dealt towards the Deathsinger within a span of 3 seconds. Natsu was about to punch him again before he heard it utter one word.

"_**Lightbringer..**_" Even with his enhanced hearing and the fact that he was only a few inches away from the lich, Natsu barely heard it; and when he did his eyes widened. Karthus was wrapped in a white light before a wave of energy and light was released. Said wave of energy knocked Natsu back and cleared the steam cloud.

He stood up to see the smoking, but upright, body of Karthus; and the damn thing was smiling wickedly at him. Natsu jumped upwards to avoid a charging Hecarim and used Fire Dragon King magic to propel him to the side so that he could dodge Thresh's _kusarigama_. When he landed, the first thing the dragon slayer did was cross his arms to block the huge morning star mace of Mordekaiser since he just noticed him. The force behind the blow cracked the crystalline armour.

'_Damn. Anymore contact with him, I'll surely die from a disease*._' Natsu pushed the iron man away and jumped backwards to the treeline so that he could catch his breath.

"**Getting tired, Dragon Slayer?**" Thresh taunted Natsu with a grin on his face. Natsu sneered in response as he brought his right leg up and pulled out a (Honshu) karambit from its boot sheath. The karambit in his hands was roughly 8-9 inches long with a 4 inch blade. Its grip was black and was made of leather. The finger ring was blood red and had a blunt spike attached to it. The blade had a red-to-yellow fade, with the red at the inside edge. Their mating mark was right at the edge of the grip on the fuller of the blade. He also pulled out an identical karambit from the other leg.

'_Thanks for the gifts Erza.._'

* * *

_FLASHBACK - 2 DAYS BEFORE THE PARADE_

"**NAAAAATSUUUUUU!**" the dragon slayer diverted his attention from a scroll to the owner of the voice, which happened to be his mate. Erza was running across the field in full speed and before she could stop herself, she tripped over a rock and landed on Natsu.

"Ow.."

"Sorry.." Erza picked herself up and dusted her clothes before extending her hand to help Natsu up. Natsu eyed her and noticed that she seemed a little flustered.

"What's up?" Erza took a deep breath before answering.

"Remember when you gave me your scarf and told me its a gift?" Natsu nodded. "I want to give you something in return."

"Erza, it's alright. You don't - "

"Natsu, I insist that I should give you a gift in return." Erza interrupted him and her tone of voice suggested that arguing would be a death sentence.

Natsu sighed in defeat, "Fine, what did you want to give me?" Erza broke into a Natsu-like grin as she summoned two sheaths shaped like dragon claws.

"These are custom made knives called karambits." She handed the knives to Natsu. He pulled them out and marvelled at the design of the blade. Erza saw Natsu smile when he saw their mating marks. "Unlike most bladed weapons, these perfectly fit your fighting style. You put your index finger in the ring and hold it in a reverse grip." Natsu did as she instructed and he was astounded at how comfortable the knives felt in his hands.

"Ok, so how do I use them?" Natsu looked at her with a confused look on his face; Erza giggled at his confusion.

"Were you listening to me? These fit your fighting style which - if you somehow forgot - mainly consisted of punches and kicks. Try punching me." Natsu seemed reluctant, but went with it anyway. He threw a left jab at Erza. She moved her head to the right and Natsu thought he missed until he saw a cut appear on her right cheek, a shallow one but it's a cut nonetheless.

"I'm sorry Erza! I didn't mean - "

"It's fine Natsu. This is exactly how I wanted it to happen. Now, ignite your fists" Natsu did as he was told and he eyed the knives curiously. The leather wasn't melting and the knives weren't getting disfigured from the heat. "As you can see your magic isn't affecting them. It took me a while to figure out, but I found a way to treat the metal and leather so that they would be resistant to the heat, cold, electricity, wear and damages."

"Wait a minute… Did you make these?!" She nodded while smiling. "Where did you find the time and materials to make this?" Her smile dropped and she began to play with her fingers while incoherently mumbling something. "What?"

"I went to the Dragon Realm." Her voice was barely above a whisper and her cheeks went red from embarrassment. She looked up to see Natsu with his mouth agape and his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"**WHAAAAAAAAT!"**

_FLASHBACK END_

* * *

'_Walking armour and two ghosts.. Assuming that I can injure them with these, the chances of killing should be fairly low._' With that thought in mind, Natsu dashed towards Mordekaiser, who was holding his mace like a baseball bat. He lowered the temperature around his hands and jumped over the mace before punching the metal man at its lower back. As he expected, the tip of the karambit was lodged in its back. He punched it again with his other arm, embedding the other knife in Mordekaiser. It began to move around in an attempt to throw off Natsu. It's efforts were in vain when Natsu angled the knives so that they were buried to the hilt and dragged them up its back.

The blades went through the armour as if it wasn't there. Natsu pulled them out and jumped back. The giant swung turned around while trying to backhand Natsu. He simply jumped up and gave the helmet a nice strong kick. Said helmet went flying towards Karthus and hit the lich on the face. Having no energy left, the Horseman of Famine simply crumpled into a heat on the ground before disappearing in a light, but Natsu never saw this happen. Wisps of white escaped the holes of the armour as Mordekaiser toppled into the ground. This greatly confused Natsu.

'_What were those? I never noticed those things escape from the holes on its body, probably since I was to focused on retrieving Erza's soul._' Then Mordekaiser's body turned white and slowly dissolved into thin air. '_Wait a minute. This guy's been under the effects of Summoner Magic**! That should mean that everyone else is too.. The question is, who is controlling them and where are they?'_

He was brought out of his thoughts at a rampaging Thresh and Hecarim. The _kusarigama_ missed Natsu as he slid to the right and at the same moment, dashed forwards to avoid the lance. A couple of wounds from the knives were inflicted right behind the knees of the centaur, causing it to buckle from the weight. As the centaur knelt down and howled in pain, Natsu jumped on it and began slashing at its back like there's no tomorrow.

The exact wisps of white from Mordekaiser escaped the wounds that Hecarim received from the dragon slayer. After one final slash, the Shadow of War collapsed and then disintegrated as the blue-green energy surrounding his body faded away. Natsu then turned to the Horseman of Death, Thresh.

"It's just you and me now." Natsu straightened up, sheathed his knives, and sported a serious look on his face while glaring at the spectre, "I'll give you a chance to give me Erza's soul so that I won't have to put you through a lot of pain." Thresh merely grunted in annoyance and threw the scythe towards Natsu.

"Very well, have it your way." Natsu caught the scythe and yanked it with so much force that Thresh went flying towards him. As it got closer, he cocked his fist back and ignited it with Spirit Fire. Then he punched the Chain Warden full force, but he wasn't finished. Teleporting behind the flying humanoid, an axe kick brought it down to the ground. Natsu straddled the spectral mage and began to punch it repeatedly on the face until wisps of white escaped from wounds caused by the severity of the blows. He stopped punching to speak to the semi-dead figure beneath him.

"Give me Erza, _now_!"

"Never!" Was the last word he uttered before he dissipated, much to Natsu's shock.

"No… NO… **NO! NOOOO! GET BACK HERE… GIVE BACK ERZA TO MEEE!**" He began to frantically collect the floating particles, but they passed through his hands. Falling to his knees as he dispelled _**Dragon's Heart: Stage I**_, Natsu faced the possibility of never getting the love of his life back until he heard some footsteps. "Who's there?!" Standing up and wiping his tears, Natsu turned around to meet the one person he feared.

"I see that you still recognize me Natsu." The dragon slayer stayed quiet until…..

"**WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ZEREF!**" The dark mage still wore the same clothing they found him in on that fateful day in Tenroujima. He also looked like he hasn't aged a day. Natsu attempted to attack him, but was frozen in place.

"I need to talk to you Natsu. Regarding your revival." Natsu's eyes briefly turned from gold to red before returning to their original colour.

"I'm listening."

"I assume that you have met Agamemnon." Natsu nodded.

"Has he told you that I once was just like him?" Another nod.

"Did he explain how I came to be?" Natsu shook his head.

"Well, it's simple really. I wanted to create life the way I wanted it to be. You have seen my demons, heck I'm betting that he told you that you are one yourself." Natsu remained silent. "I did all of these in secret until one day, I slipped and he discovered my creations. He banished me and made me take on this form for as long as I live. After the span of 400 years, I have seen what my creations have wrought upon this world. Also, people have been using me to create more of those abominations so that anarchy will plague everywhere. That is the reason why I created you… So that you can rid the world of me."

"Alright I get it.. So why did you want to speak to me directly?" Natsu made his irritation clear to Zeref.

"I wanted you to know that I was the one controlling these people." Natsu's anger flared, in front of him was the man responsible of taking his mate's life. "Also to give you a spell to rouse your mate from her slumber." All the anger Natsu felt was replaced by confusion.

"What?"

"Erza is not dead. She is merely asleep." Natsu made a noise of surprise before protesting.

"But I saw Thresh take her soul from her body. And when I got to her, she was cold and there was no heartbeat." Zeref chuckled.

"The first case was very powerful illusion magic, the second is a spell that gives an image of death when the victim is only asleep. I am here to give you the, how do I say this, 'cure' of the sleeping spell." Natsu felt very relieved that Erza was still alive, but was very suspicious of Zeref.

"Why did you do all of this in the first place?"

"To assess your strength. I chose these four because they are the most powerful inhabitants of this secluded piece of land. I am very pleased with the results, but it is not enough to kill me. Not yet." Zeref stepped forward and placed his palm on Natsu's forehead. After chanting a few words, Natsu felt a sharp pain in his head as the spell was being implanted in his mind.

"Go and do not speak of this encounter." A rift opened a few feet from Natsu's location and he felt that he move again. Taking a wary glance at Zeref, he looked at the rift and jumped into it. Moments after he entered, the rift closed.

"I'll be waiting for the day that you will finally give me peace, Natsu."

* * *

_IN MAGNOLIA - ABOUT 7:OO IN THE MORNING_

Natsu ran through the fairly empty streets towards the guild building. When he reached there, the doors were wide open to reveal Makarov and Mira waiting for him.

"Natsu? How did you get here so quickly?" Makarov questioned Natsu.

"No time to explain, where's Erza?"

"She's in the infirmary." Mira answered. Natsu bolted through the infirmary doors and found Erza, unchanged after all this time, lying down peacefully on a bed. His eyes teared up as he moved towards her and placed his hands over her chest (think like when someone is about to do CPR). He began to chant quietly, ignoring Makarov's scent in the room, and white light flowed from his hands to wrap around her body.

The light died down to reveal Erza, still asleep, but the rise and fall of her chest signified that the spell was a success. Natsu noticed that her eyes began to slowly open and when they did, the first thing she said was: "Natsu? Why am I in the infirmary?"

Her question wasn't answered because of a pink-haired mage tackling her and hugging her tightly while tears flowed from his eyes. Erza picked up the scent of tears and was about to ask why he was crying when all the memories of what happened after the parade resurfaced.

"I'm never letting anyone or anything harm you ever again Erza. I swear to you." He spoke through sobs. Erza smiled and hugged him back.

"I know Natsu. That's why I love you."

* * *

disease* = Prolonged contact with Mordekaiser will cause a person to receive a life-threatening disease. Hence Mordekaiser's title as the Horseman of Pestilence.

Summoner's Magic** = A form of magic exclusive in Runeterra that is nearly identical to Lucy's. However, the entity being summoned is a citizen of the Runeterra. The entity will then gain a limit on how much damage they can take until they are freed from the spell. When the maximum damage received has been reached, what happened to the Horsemen will happen to the summoned entity.

* * *

**A/N: YES! I FINALLY DID IT GUYS AND GALS! I HAVE FINALLY UPLOADED ANOTHER CHAPTER.. MY LIFE HAS BEEN REALLY HECTIC AS OF RIGHT NOW, SO I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU GUYS AGAIN FOR YOUR PATIENCE. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE LITTLE TWIST I GAVE YOU REGARDING ERZA? (NATSU POPS OUT OF THE SCREEN TO BEAT UP AUTHOR)**

**I SEE NATSU, THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANSWER... SO YEAH GUYS, THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS WILL BE SOCIAL CHAPTERS, NO FIGHTING AT ALL. JUST FLUFF AND FUNNY MOMENTS. REMEMBER TO R &amp; R, ESPECIALLY REVIEWING. EVERY REVIEW JUST KICKSTARTS MY HEART. AND I LOVE TO INTERACT WITH THE READERS SO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FIC, MAKE SUGGESTIONS. OR JUST PLAIN OL' TALK TO ME ABOUT POLITICS, I DON'T CARE. SORRY IF THE ENDING/ FIGHT SCENES SEEMED RUSHED. MY BRAIN'S RUNNING OUT OF JUICE (CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS ARE FILLING IT UP TO THE BRIM).**

**ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ALL OF YOU IF THE APPROXIMATELY 5K WORDS PER CHAPTER IS ALRIGHT OR IF YOU WANT ME TO HAVE LONGER OR SHORTER CHAPTERS.. I HAVE THIS NEW IDEA FOR ANOTHER FIC BUT I AM HAVING A DILEMMA OF FOCUSING ON THIS ONE TIL THE END OR WRITING ANOTHER ONE AND SPLITTING MY WRITING TIME BETWEEN THE TWO. FINALLY, I'D HATE TO SAY THIS, BUT AFTER MANY FAIRY TAIL EPISODES, I AM SLOWLY LOSING THE WILL TO RIGHT DUE TO THE SHEER AMOUNT OF NALU AND JERZA.**

**FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER: NATSU AND ERZA'S FIRST DATE!**

**SEE YOU GUYS, **_**Das2Eazy signing out**_


	11. Natsu's Date

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

Natsu wept quietly into Erza's chest as she stroked his hair with a worried look on her face. She was staring a hole on the wall opposite of her as thoughts of Natsu acting like this plagued her mind. Erza spied Makarov's dwarfish body at the doorway from the corner of her eye. Fairy Tail's guildmaster walked towards the two mages and coughed into his fist. Natsu heard it and raised his head from his mate's chest to face Makarov.

"Natsu, now that you're back and Erza's revived, tell us what happened." Makarov gave Natsu a moment to calm down and sit up properly he before revealing all that has happened, but unbeknownst to Makarov, Natsu omitted Zeref and his confrontation with the dark mage. Instead, he said that he met a man who was controlling the four horsemen and beat the spell out of him. When he finished telling his tale, Erza smiled at him before playfully punching his arm.

"Looks like my gifts came in handy Natsu." At that moment, Mira entered the room to see what was going on. Tears sprung in her eyes as she launched herself at the redhead. Poor Erza never saw it coming. The she-demon tackled her into a hug, effectively making Natsu fall to the ground.

"**WAAAAAAAH!**" Mira dramatically bawled as anime tears fell out of her eyes, "Erza, thank goodness you're alive." Erza didn't respond because the impact rendered her unconscious and Natsu noticed that there were near invisible apparitions of a flying Mira circling over her head. He had to pull Mira away from his mate before she died from suffocation. Even with his enhanced Dragon Slayer strength, it was nigh impossible to separate Erza from Mira's death grip. So, Natsu resorted on talking her out of it.

"Mira, looked what you did to her." The demon was brought out of her trance and finally noticed Erza's condition.

"Oops." She giggled childishly as Natsu rolled his eyes.

"Natsu," Our favourite dragon slayer turned to face Makarov, "come with me." Shooting at a glance towards the unconscious Erza, Natsu chuckled to himself before following the old man. They entered the master's office and Makarov inscribed sound-proof runes on the door before speaking.

"There's something you're not telling me, Natsu."

"I told you everything that happened Master." Natsu answered in an indifferent tone.

"**THEN EXPLAIN WHY THE SPELL YOU USED TO ROUSE ERZA HAS TRACES OF ZEREF'S MAGIC!**" Makarov glared at him as he increased in size. 'The audacity of this boy is unbelieveable. First, he's using magic that has traces of Zeref's own magic. Then, he's lying to me about it.'

"The man I confronted and acquired the spell from was an acolyte of a Zeref cult." Natsu spoke in the same tone of indifference. Makarov shrunk back down, it seems that he bought Natsu's partial lie. "I know that the source of the spell is worrisome, but don't worry. I will never let anything hurt her."

"I know Natsu.." Makarov plopped onto his chair and rubbed his temples, "You can't blame me for being protective of my children."

"I know how you feel. I have 3 people whom I sometimes consider as my children." Hansuke, Maria and Happy sat up and sneezed from their beds at the same time before going back to sleep. "Master, how did the king react to the request?"

"He was reluctant at first, but with a bit of persuasion, he finally gave in."

"I see, have you contacted him?"

"No. I was about to do that after our little conversation though." Natsu's nose twitched and he quickly turned around.

"We have some visitors." Not even a second passed after he said that when the banging of Makarov's door was heard.

"Makarov Dreyar, we wish to speak to Natsu Dragneel." The old master sighed loudly before hopping off of his seat and opening the door. Lahar and Doranbolt entered the office.

"Natsu." Doranbolt greeted the dragon slayer with a small smile.

"Doranbolt." Natsu returned the greeting with a slightly bigger smile. Lahar remained stoic as the two exchanged their greetings.

"Natsu Dragneel, " the aforementioned mage turned to Lahar, "the king of Fiore as well as the Magic Council would like to have a word with you." Natsu just stared blankly at the Rune Knight. "That was not a request."

"Alright… Lead the way." Lahar nodded in approval and the four of them exited the office. The guild was still fairly empty; only Mira, Erza and Laxus were present and all three were glaring at Lahar.

"Natsu, let me come with you." Erza's gaze switched from the Rune Knight to her mate. To her surprise, he simply shook his head.

"No Erza. You should stay here, it's not like when you got arrested. They just want to 'talk'." Erza caught Natsu's emphasis on talk and gave him a confused look.

'_Are you sure?_' She continued their conversation telepathically.

'_Yes. Don't worry, I'll be fine._' He noticed that she still had a worried look on her face. It didn't suit her. '_How about this, when I come back, I'll treat you to dinner._'

'_Really?!_' Her facial expression slightly softened and Natsu marvelled at her ability to hide her true emotions.

'_Of course. Even though we're a couple, we have never been on a date so this should be our first. In fact, pick a restaurant of your choice. I don't care where it is or how expensive, just pick and I'll take you there._'

'_I'll hold you to your word, Mr. Dragneel._' Natsu inwardly smirked as he diverted his attention to the conversation that was going on between Lahar and Laxus.

"What the hell are you two doing with Natsu?!" Natsu noticed that Laxus' fingers were twitching in anger and knew the wrong reply would cause a fight between the two to occur.

"That is none of your business." Niiiiiiice Lahar, you just had to make the wrong reply in an authoritative tone of voice. The Rune Knight barely saw the lightning fast **(A/N: *D(ying)OFL* due to horrible pun)** fist headed in his direction. Thankfully for Lahar, Natsu caught Laxus' fist with a rock encrusted hand.

"Laxus.." The way Natsu mentioned his name gave him the chills as well as the surrounding individuals, "Let it be and to answer your question, the king requires my presence." The lightning mage glared at Lahar before dropping his fist and look towards Natsu with a solemn expression.

"What do you think they want?" Natsu simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Besides asking a few questions, I don't know. Ask them." He gestured to the Rune Knights.

"We also don't know Laxus," Doranbolt answered before Lahar could, fully knowing the consequences of letting Lahar answer instead. "We're just following orders."

"We don't care!" It was Mira's turn to argue, "What if your orders were to murder a family of five, what then?! You have no right of taking him to king or the council without his and our consent!"

"Children," The Fairy Tail mages faced Makarov, who was watching the exchange with indifference, "They already have both mine and Natsu's consent." Both mages looked at Natsu and then Makarov with wide eyes, not believing what they just heard.

"It's alright guys," Erza finally spoke up, "Natsu can take care of himself and besides, if they _do_ hurt him in any way," A dark, sadistic smile appeared on her face as she glared at the two Knights. "I would be begging for mercy if I were in their shoes." Lahar and Doranbolt and shivered at the idea and shivered even more when Laxus and Mira adopted sadistic smiles of their own.

"R-R-Right…" Doranbolt stuttered before regaining his composure, "We will ensure that he comes back unharmed."

"You better keep that promise." Mira replaced her sadistic smile with a sweet one, a sickly sweet one that is. "Because I'm pretty sure you're life will be hell if you break it."

"How dare you…. How dare you Fairy Tail mages… To think you would have the audacity to threaten us, representatives of the government as well as justice. You will regret making that decision." Lahar seethed as he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Lahar, just shut up already." All eyes were on Natsu, "I thought you were going to take me out to the ball game."

"What?" Everyone tilted their heads in confusion, trying to decipher and process what Natsu just said. Question marks then appeared over their heads before flying away.

"I said I thought you were going to take me to the king. Oh well, if you want to argue with these guys rather than carry out your original orders, that's fine by me." After he said that, he sat down on a nearby bench, feigning excitement. His actions pissed off Lahar, who yanked him up and forcefully led him towards the carriage.

After they entered, he was about to close the door when he saw the glowing red eye of Erza Scarlet, who clearly was not impressed on how Natsu was being treated. A glaring contest commenced, but was ended very quickly by their fearful driver. The Rune Knights were confused on why the driver looked like he was on the verge of death, but paid no heed to it. They thought that the glare just got to him. They just didn't see the impressive array of levitating weapons aimed at the carriage and a creepily cheerful Mira putting a finger to her lips in a 'be quiet' gesture. Jeez, these women are crazy.

_"Who are you calling crazy?'_

_'MIRA! Uhhhhhhh. Not you of course.. hehehehe.'_

_'That narrows it down then, you're referring to me as being crazy. Is it not proper for me to worry about the man I love and then get pissed at those who mistreat him?'_

_'Of course it is Erza! I was just… um... taken back ... on your actions towards them.'_

_'I see.'_

***WHAM***

_'What the heck Erza?! Why'd you punch through my screen! And how are the both of you able to talk to me anyways?!'_

_'It's because we have a particular set of skills, skills that we have acquired over a very long career. Skills that will make us a nightmare for you if you don't bring back Natsu alive in one piece.'_ The two of them had to speak in unison for extra effect, huh.

_' *gulp* Don't worry guys, I got'chu…. BACK TO THE STORY!'_

* * *

_AT CROCUS - IN THE KING'S THRONE ROOM_

"Natsu Dragneel, step forward." The (Makarov-size) king spoke from his throne and said mage followed the order. "Now, please explain why you requested me to send my troops to the defensive and why you, and you alone, went to a continent that was being torn by a civil war and has signed a treaty of peace with us to seek vengeance?"

"Your Highness, first of all I requested you to send troops on the defensive due to my paranoia that the attack on Erza Scarlet and I was a legitimate act of war from Runeterra. You would do the same thing if assassins would attempt to kill your daughter who probably is eavesdropping our conversations." Natsu raised his voice at the end and the king made a noise of surprise as guards began to search for the princess. They found her moments later, she was hiding behind the king's throne. The king glared at his daughter for a moment before gesturing Natsu to continue.

"For your second question, I went to Runeterra because I had to investigate about the culprits of the act. I went alone because the Runeterran government knows me and actually would leave me alone with my business. If I were to bring a few guildmates along, they would believe that we have committed an act of war." Before Natsu could continue even further, he was interrupted by Gran Doma.

"What do you mean that the Runeterran government knows you? Are you a spy of theirs?" The Dragon Slayer turned to right, now remembering that the magic council was here also. However, unlike when Erza was arrested years ago, the council members weren`t thought projections. Natsu shook his head in denial.

"Gran Doma-san, you seem like a well educated man -"

"Are you patronizing me Dragneel?" His voice had a very sharp edge to it.

"No I am not, just let me finish. As I was going to say, have you heard of a character named Agamemnon?"

"Of course, the god of the Pure Triage, an old religion where its main beliefs focus on humans, demons and dragons being the superior species in the world as well as peace being a constant between the species. The religion was disavowed when the Dragon Civil war began. Enough about history lessons, what does Agamemnon have to do with everything?" Natsu smiled and tossed a circular object towards Gran Doma. He caught it and examined it. His eyes widened at what he saw.

In his hands was a black metal emblem of the Pure Triage. It was circle with the arms of a human, dragon and demon interlocked at the centre. The arms were connected the the edges of the circle. (Search up: Helghast Old Triad, the picture with three arms holding each other is what you want to see. Replace 2 of the 3 arms with a dragon's and a demon's arms).

"Impossible, almost all of these emblems were destroyed after the religion's disavowal. There are only very few left and a handful are those were metallic, which were once used by the high priests." Natsu smirked at his shocked face.

"You're correct. However, that isn't the emblem that the high priest uses during ceremonies."

"What?!"

"That is a branding iron." Natsu proceeded to remove his trenchcoat and shirt to reveal an emblem seared on his back. "And only one person every generation had the honour of getting branded for they will become the next patriarch or matriarch. Since the religion is pretty much dead, this brand is extra special."

"How?" Jura Neekis, one of the 10 Wizards Saints spoke up from the chairs that the magic council was sitting on.

"Let me show you. I'm going to need a blank lacrima though." Everyone in the room stared at Natsu for a moment before the king ordered a guard to fetch a lacrima. When Natsu was handed the lacrima, he performed a Memory Transfer and the people present were surprised to discover that Natsu was branded by none other than Agamemnon.

"I-I-Impossible…." Another council member spoke. "He's just a -"

"Myth? Figment of my imagination? A trick for you to believe me?" All council members except Jura nodded while Natsu was putting his clothing back on. "You would be incorrect, but I understand if you don't want to believe me. So I would want to prove to you that this is real and you may choose on how I can be able to do so."

"Let us speak to him." Org spoke, earning a few murmurs of approval.

"I don't know….. He can't really leave his location since it relies on his presence, but I can try one thing.. Give me a moment." Natsu sat down in a cross-legged position and stayed quiet. They saw tendrils of energy wrap around him and then cocoon him. The cocoon then disappeared, Natsu remained in his position unchanged. He stood up and opened his eyes, they were glowing white, devoid of any irises.

"You wish to speak to me?" Natsu spoke, yet his voice sounded deeper than normal.

"Agamemnon?" The king asked and Natsu(Agamemnon) nodded in response. "First of all, what are you doing to him?"

"I am using his body to communicate with you, my real body is still where it should be, but a portion of my consciousness has been temporarily transferred to Natsu's body."

"Mhmm. Okay, second…. Did you really brand him, and if so why?"

"Yes, I did brand him and it's because I needed a representative and a peacekeeper. As you may know, your Highness, the people who worshipped me believed peace between the 3 superior races needed to be a constant. That is because peace is a vision I bestowed upon many mortals at the time. Natsu is a perfect choice for my vision of peace since even though in his early years he was secluded from human contact and trained by a dragon, his love for other humans rivaled his love for his foster father and his race."

"What about Gajeel Redfox or Wendy Marvel?" Gran Doma asked.

"Well, they didn't die. So I couldn't directly interact with them. Also, Natsu is the only person that I transfer a part of my consciousness to."

"I see, any more questions from the council? No? Thank you Agamemnon for your time. You may go." The king spoke up and Agamemnon bowed before wrapping himself in white energy again. Natsu was back to normal, the fact is supported by his golden dragon eyes.

"So, did you guys get any answers from him?"

"Yes, Dragneel." Gran Doma answered for the crowd.

"Okay so to answer your original question Gran Doma-san, the Runeterran government knows me because their leader is a devout believer of the visions of peace that he learned from old scrolls regarding the Pure Triage. Also, my true reason for going there is that because of the act I have to regulate the peace between nations by dealing with the suspects."

"I see Natsu Dragneel… We have no further questions for you, you may leave." The king motioned with his hand before turning to his daughter to speak with her quietly.

"Actually, have you learned of your posthumous title as Wizard Saint?" Jura asked.

"I have, what of it?" Jura threw a medallion of the Wizard Saints to Natsu, who caught it with ease.

"The title isn't posthumous anymore, Natsu 'Salamander' Dragneel of Fairy Tail. You are now officially a member of the 10 wizard saints." The throne room erupted in applause for the new member of the Wizard Saints.

"Thank you." Natsu bowed and made his way out, wearing the medallion as he walked out of the throne room. Before he completely exited the room, he turned around and said:

"I have a request to ask of you Gran Doma-san and Your Highness." Both men looked at him with curiosity before answering him.

"What may that be Dragneel?"

"I request to be present in Magic Council meetings as well as meetings between the king and his subjects." Everyone gasped at his request. "For the Dragon Council would want to know what the humans are up to as well as give some advice on how to deal with certain problems." The room was quiet as the king and Gran Doma thought about his request.

"Give us time to talk about it with our subordinates and when we have come to a conclusion, we will contact you Dragneel."

"Thank you for considering." Natsu bowed and made his way out.

'_Natsu, honey.. Can you hear me?_' Erza's telepathically spoke to her mate.

'_First of all, yes I can hear you. Second, don't call me honey, it doesn't suit you and makes you sound like Ichiya._' Natsu was now out of the throne room and was walking through the grand hallway.

'_Aww, you're just embarrassed that I gave you a cute nickname._' She teased him in a cute voice, This was a side of Erza only Natsu is lucky enough to witness.

'_N-n-no I'm not._' Smooth Natsu… She can tell you're lying, you know. '_I have this feeling that you're speaking to me for a very good reason rather than just to tease me with a nickname that I don't even like._'

'_You're right, remember when you told me you would treat me to dinner?_'

'_Yeah, d'you pick a restaurant yet?_'

'_Yup!_' Natsu could only imagine Erza's face at that moment: twinkling eyes and the 'Natsu grin'. '_Have you heard of the Everlasting Twilight?_'

'_The most prestigious restaurant in Fiore? The one that costs nearly half a million Jewels for a reservation and is located in Crocus? Who hasn't? Wait, you want to go there for our date?_' He was now near the exit of the palace.

'_Yup!_'

'_Yosh! I'll make a reservation for us ASAP!_' Natsu visibly smirked, confusing the guards he passed by. Shrugging it off, they opened the gates to reveal Makarov patiently waiting for him. The old man let out a huge grin when he saw the medallion hanging from Natsu's neck.

"Congratulations brat." He held out a slightly enlarged hand to Natsu, who shook it with a smile on his face.

"Thank you master. Why are you here?"

"It's not just me, the entire guild came. They were worried about you, some more than others." The memory of a motion sick Erza popped into Makarov's mind. Natsu also seemed to get the gist on whom the master was referring to.

"So where's everyone?"

"In a nearby park, I told them to stay there. However, knowing my brats, some of them are probably exploring the city." Makarov began to walk towards the hotel with Natsu right behind him. As they walked, they were talking about the duties and responsibilities of a Wizard Saint. At first Makarov was a bit skeptical about Natsu being a wizard saint, then he remembered that Natsu has matured quite a lot; therefore there was no need to worry.

They reached the park, and the first thing they noticed were the quiet members having a little picnic. With his enhanced sight, Natsu saw his redhead mate's nose twitch in recognition of a scent. Erza quickly stood up from her spot and dashed towards her dragon slayer. She tackled him into a hug, yet he didn't fall down.

"So how was the 'talk' with the king and the council?" Natsu smiled before showing her the medallion. Her eyes grew wide before she smirked at him. "Took them too long to give that to you."

"I know right!" Erza giggled at him before they walked towards the other guild members, who proceeded to dog pile Natsu and Erza. Fortunately for the two, Makarov freed them from their torment by removing all the dog piling mages. Natsu then noticed a few missing mages.

"Hey, where's Gajeel and Gray?"

"Both went sightseeing with their respective girlfriends/mates." Jet answered while Natsu nodded in understanding. "Woah! That medallion though. 'Gratz!" Everyone then began to notice Natsu's medal and congratulated him. Natsu was about to sit down with the others until he remembered something. Something very important.

"Gotta go, guys." He sprinted away towards the city streets.

"Where are you going brat?!" Makarov shouted at him, hoping that the dragon slayer heard him.

"I have to do an errand!" Natsu yelled back, not losing any speed. Everyone shook their heads, confused at Natsu's actions and decided to let it be. Except for Erza, who perfectly knew why he was acting like this.

Surprisingly, Natsu arrived at his destination without causing any form of property damage. He now stood in front of the Crocus Bank. Walking in as he hid his medallion, he was surprised that there was very few people in there besides the staff. He made his way to the teller, which was a middle-aged brunette lady with a generous chest that threatened to burst out of her fairly tight work attire.

"Hello, how may I help you?" She gave him a cheery smile. He returned the smile as he pulled out a small pouch from his coat.

"There are 5000 Runeterran gold coins in there, I would like them to be converted into jewels please."

"Of course darling.. Tell you what, take me on a date, and I'll put in some extra jewels." She pushed her arms together and made her bountiful chest seem larger than normal. Most men would take the offer, but Natsu isn't like most men.

"Sorry miss," Natsu's face turned a little grim. "I'm already taken." She huffed and walked away with the pouch, returning minutes later with another pouch, this time filled with jewels.

"Have a nice day." There was an edge to her voice, but Natsu paid no heed to it and proceeded to make his way to the 'Everlasting Twilight' to make his reservation. A few minutes of speed-walking later, Natsu was in front of the restaurant.

It was the size of the old Fairy Tail guild building, made out of mainly wooden planks which were painted in a gradient of red to purple. Large double doors were located at the middle of the front of the building with two large windows on each side. On the second floor, there was a balcony where Natsu saw a few people were eating from. Right above the double doors was a banner that had the restaurant's name written in an intricate and beautiful font.

He opened the door and was impressed at what he saw. There was a big crystal chandelier hanging from the roof of the restaurant. On the first floor, tables covered in purple cloth with red embroidery with chairs in groups of two to six. There were about 45 of said tables on the first floor. On the second floor, a rather large chunk of the floor was missing, only sections of roughly 10 feet wide near the wall were left. There were 28 tables on the second floor, each having 2 to 6 chairs.

After taking in the impressive interior of the restaurant, he made his way to the hostess. She looked like the teller he met in the bank. They also had the same scent. Twins perhaps?

"Hello, my name is Natsu and I would like to make a reservation."

"I'm Katie, and you're in luck! We have one open spot for 8:00 tonight!" Natsu smiled brightly and produced his pouch of jewels, handing her the desired amount. "Thank you very much!"

"No, thank you. By the way, do you happen to have a twin sister?" Her eyes widened at the question.

"Yes! How did you know?"

"First of all, I met her at a nearby bank.. Second, you two have the same scent." She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm a dragon slayer, you see. I have enhanced senses."

"Wait a minute are you the Salamander?" Her eyes widened in recognition and he nodded with a smile. "I knew that your pink hair looked familiar. Are you're reserving a spot here for a date with 'Titania' Erza Scarlet?" Another nod and smile from Natsu. "Go get 'em tiger."

The two shared a laugh before Natsu asked another question, "How come there's still a reservation for tonight. I thought since this is such a prestigious restaurant, I would have to make reservations months ahead of time."

"Many people have asked that and the answer is simple. The bill for the reservations is too expensive for most people and if you manage to pay the bill, the price of the meals get included in the mix."

"I see. So how much would most meals be?"

"They range from 2,500 to 6,250 for main courses. Deserts have a much bigger range and since you're bringing Ms. Scarlet along, here's a coupon for discounts on strawberry cheesecakes." She handed him a 50% off discount coupon and he smiled brightly.

"Thanks." He exited the restaurant and made his way to the tailor's.

'_Erza?_'

'_Yes dear?_' Natsu cringed at the pet name she gave him.

'_You're not gonna stop giving me pet names when we're alone are you?_'

'_Nope._' Was her cheery reply.

'_Anyways, I made reservations for 8:00 tonight at the restaurant, so if I were you I would start prepping._' Right after he said that, Natsu was barraged by an endless stream of "Thank you's" and "I love you so much" from his beloved.

'_Pick me up at the "Indigo Rose" hotel at 7:40!_" She exclaimed in his mind to the point that his ears were ringing. Using his remaining cash, he wandered into a random tailor's shop and got fitted for a black suit, red dress shirt and shiny black dress shoes. The total cost of his purchase was 200,000 jewels. As he exited the parlour(?) grumpily, he noticed that the sun was setting. When he checked a clock, the time read 6:00 PM and he entered the parlour at 3:17 PM. Natsu was about to blow it until he bumped into Hansuke.

"Sorry Natsu-sama, I wasn't paying attention where I was walking." the Hellfire Dragon King Slayer scratched the back of his head while giving Natsu an embarrassed smile.

"It's alright. What are you doing here?"

"The old man let us explore the city after you ran away. Maria and I were checking out the palace gardens when she suddenly disappeared on me. I have no idea where she went. I've looking for her for hours and even with my dragon senses, I can't seem to find her." Natsu heartily laughed at the memory of Maria getting lost in one of the forests in the Dragon Realm. "What's that Natsu?" Hansuke gestured at the small box in his left hand and the garment bag slung over his right shoulder.

"A suit and shoes for a little date with Erza." Hansuke gave Natsu a cheshire cat grin before walking away.

"Have _fun_ you two." Natsu turned a bit pink at the implications Hansuke suggested with the tone of his voice.

"Oi! Which hotel are we staying in and where's the 'Indigo Rose' located?" He shouted at his student.

"Guys stay at the 'Paradise City' hotel, which is pretty close to the park, and the 'Indigo Rose' is located 3 blocks away from our hotel" After shouting a quick thanks Natsu made his way to the hotel. He checked in and walked into his room. It was simple, since he was only staying for one night. Natsu glanced at the clock and saw that it was 6:32. He quickly changed into his suit and shoes, albeit struggling a bit when putting on the tie. before leaving, he had a little dilemma whether to put on perfume or not.

'_Hey man, put some on._' A voice rang out into Natsu's head.

'_What the? Who are you?_' He asked. A mini Natsu wearing a leather jacket and torn jeans appeared in front of him.

'_I'm you idiot and before you forget, put some perfume on. Chicks dig a good smelling guy._'

'_I wouldn't listen to him if I were you,_' Another mini Natsu materialized out of thin air, this time he was wearing a suit and tie. '_Erza still is a bit traumatized about perfume because of Ichiya._'

'_Yeah, but a little perfume could go a long way._'

'_And by a long way, he means that your relationship might be a little rocky 'cause of that first impression you gave her on your first date._'

'_What do you know about her?_'

'_Enough to realize that perfume might be a bad idea._'

'_Just put some on._'

'_Don't put any on._'

'_Put some on._'

'_Don't._'

'_PUT SOME ON!_'

'_DON'T_'

'_Alright, SHUT UP!_' both mini Natsus froze in fear at real Natsu's outburst '_I agree with the sharp-dressing mini me. Why would you want me to put some perfume on when we all know that Erza is still cautious of perfume because of Ichiya?_'

'_I ain't tellin' you nothin'._' mini punk Natsu crossed his arms in defiance while turning away from real Natsu.

'_No matter, you're me anyways so I should be able to know why._' Natsu kept quiet for a bit before responding with a demonic tone to his voice. '_So you want to put perfume on because you think it's funny to see the look on Erza's face when she get's sick due to the perfume's strength?_' Natsu proceeded to grab mini Natsu (punk) and squeeze the life out of him. However, he was interrupted when he glanced at the clock. It read 7:15 PM…

He began to panic as he opened the door and rushed out. He wasn't expecting to see Gajeel and Gray to rush out of their rooms at the same time as him. They stayed quiet for a second before they uttered the same phrase.

"**WHAT THE HELL!**" They weren't yelling because they weren't expecting each other to dress to impress, they were yelling because their pants were missing. After running back into their respective rooms to put on their pants, they finally began to converse as they made their way out of the hotel.

"Date night?" The both of them nodded and Natsu got a good look on what they were wearing.

Gajeel was wearing a dark gray suit, black dress shirt and a dark gray tie as well as a dark grey fedora with his hair in a ponytail. In his chest pocket was neatly folded white handkerchief. Gray was wearing a navy blue suit over a royal blue dress shirt with a black tie. His hair was slicked back, much like Gildarts', and on his chest pocket was a clip of a pinkish-white waterlily. Natsu himself, had his hair in a small ponytail and in his chest pocket was a red rose.

"Hey, wanna buy flowers?" Gray asked as they passed by a flower shop.

"Sure why not." Gajeel answered and they entered the flower shop. When they exited, Gray had a bouquet of blue orchids, Gajeel had a bouquet of white roses and Natsu had a bouquet of red roses. They moved on, talking about random events and before long, they were in front of the girl's hotel and they were a few minutes early too. Minutes later, when the clock read 7:45 PM, the girls finally exited the hotel and the men were breathless.

Juvia exited the hotel first. She wore a strapless blue dress which ended right above the knee that showed her cleavage quite a bit and hugged her body nicely. She also wore matching mid-heel shoes. On her neck was a silver necklace with a teardrop-shaped sapphire pendant. Her hair was in a tight bun with a lotus shaped comb in it (like Mulan's comb-thingy).

Then Levy came out. She wore a tight bright yellow dress with spaghetti straps and ruffles that ended about mid-thigh. Her sandals were white and reached mid calf with its laces criss-crossing. Her hair was in a ponytail with a flower behind one ear and she was wearing a pair of glasses with a thin frame, it looked quite cute on her. (*WHAM* Gajeel punches the author for checking out his girl).

Finally, Erza revealed herself to her date. She wore a white dress with straps encircling her neck that showed a generous amount of her cleavage and ended at her ankles with a slit from ankle to mid-thigh on each side. Her hair was in fairly messy bun (FT opening 18 Erza's hairstyle) and her right eye being covered by locks of her vibrant red hair. Natsu noticed that she was also wearing white high-heel shoes and his old scarf was wrapped around her neck. She's looking fi-iafodchb;292,,9twkrvcofao 293 duzp duap,83 ;)2 619?6;92!j

Hello readers, this is Natsu Dragneel and I have a message for you. Refrain from checking out my mate or else you will end up like the writer of this story. He's not dead though, just in a lot of pain. If you're wondering how I was able to type this when computers aren't even invented in Fiore, I practiced while the author was asleep. Anyways, good-bye.

**(A/N: **_*groan*_** Man, Natsu's a mean guy sometimes. Seriously, first he drags my face across my keyboard, and then he beat the crap outta me. Spent a few weeks in the hospital because of him, thanks.. Meh, good thing there's free medicare where I live.)**

"Looking good ladies." Natsu spoke out in a giddy tone, unaware of the aura of jealousy coming from his friends.

"Not looking bad yourself Natsu." Levy responded, also unaware of the jealous aura surrounding Erza. The 3 men gave their dates the bouquets, which ended up in the women hugging the life out of the men.

"So where are you guys going to go for your dates?" Erza inquired.

"The Everlasting Twilight!" The other two women answered at the same time. Erza stood shell-shocked for a moment before a grin made its way to her face.

"Us too!"

"**TRIPLE DATE!**" The three women held hands and jumped in the air as they yelled those words. Natsu and Gajeel had to cover their ears while Gray stood there amused at Erza's girly side. After their mini celebration, they made their way to the restaurant. As walked, Erza and the girls were conversing with each other.

"So girls," Levy and Juvia turned to face Erza. "what was your first date like?"

"Mine was fairly good. Especially since Gajeel was so adorable when he asked me out." Erza spied Gajeel blushing in the corner of her eyes.

"I would like to hear the full story."

"Juvia would like to hear it as well."

"Well, it began during one of our training sessions in the Dragon Realm about two years ago."

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

"You've been making good progress shrimp. Give it some time and you'll be a powerful dragon slayer." He spoke in between pants as the both of them were training to the point of exhaustion.

"Thanks Gajeel." She smiled at him with pink misted cheeks. Levy then lied down on the grass to relax for a moment. The part of the Dragon Realm where they were located felt so peaceful. The sky was as blue as it could get in Earthland, healthy fruit-bearing trees were scattered about, the sun was shining down on them warmly and a cool breeze swept through the area at irregular intervals. It made her want to stay here, on the ground, forever.

"Uh, Levy.." Gajeel's voice brought her head out of the clouds.

"Yeah Gajeel?" She sat up and noticed that Gajeel was as red as a tomato and was shifting his weight between his legs. This struck her as odd because the iron dragon slayer never acted like this… EVER.

"W-W-W-Would y-y-ou like to go out for dinner later?" Gajeel stuttered. Levy was a little shocked for two things, he just asked her out - even though they were technically married in dragon terms - , and Gajeel was stuttering like a teenager asking out a girl for the first time.

"Of course! Though, I'm wondering why you're so nervous about it. We're technically married, so you shouldn't be shy on asking me out." Gajeel stood there silent for a second.

"I don't really know," Levy tumbled to the ground while he scratched his head with goofy smile on his face, "Probably it's the first time I asked someone out." His mate giggled before he opened the portal to Earthland and was dragged out by his mate.

_FLASHBACK END_

* * *

"Then we went to this place called the Heaven's Warrant, it's pretty close to Magnolia. The meal was great, and I learned a few new things about my mate. Namely that he's such a gentleman and a sweetheart if you take the time to actually know the guy." Gajeel blushed as the guys snickered at him, muttering things such as 'You're such a sweetheart, Gajeel.'. Unfortunately for the two, Levy heard every word.

"Hey, Natsu, Gray.." Both mages shut up and turned to Levy who was smiling almost menacingly, "Make fun of him again and you'll regret it big time. Understand?"

"Aye!" They fearfully answered back while they saluted. The girls then laughed at the both of them, who were as white as snow from the threat.

"How about you Juvia, how was your first date?'

"It was amazing! Though Juvia was a bit taken back on how Gray-sama asked her out." It was Gray's turn to blush.

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

" _*squeal*_ Today is Juvia's 1100th anniversary since she met Gray-sama!" The bluenette water mage spoke to herself as she prepared for the day. 'I wonder what should I get for Gray-sama today?' When she opened the door, what she saw was very unexpected.

Gray stood against the opposite wall with a hand behind his back - fully clothed, by the way - and he was looking to the right. Juvia couldn't believe it. Gray was in Fairy Hills, waiting for her! He just risked his life showing up here, but that didn't matter for Juvia. The man of her dreams was right in front of her.

'_Calm yourself Juvia, take it nice and slow so that Gray-sama can finally acknowledge and love you._' She mentally spoke to herself before taking a deep breath.

"Gray-sama, what - " Juvia couldn't finish her sentence due to Gray shoving a bouquet of flowers on her face, pink carnations to be exact. Juvia grabbed the bouquet in shock as she looked at Gray, who had red cheeks and was frowning in embarrassment.

"Gray-sama?" Her cheeks were blazing hot right now at his show of affection. It didn't help that he looked so cute when he was embarrassed. She noticed his lips were moving, but the volume of his voice was nigh inaudible.

"What?" Gray then turned to face her, his face completely red now and said:

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" He stood there with determined eyes, watching her for a reaction. He knew she wouldn't say no, but he was worried on how she would say yes.

"**YEEEES OF COURSE, GRAY-SAMA!**" This, my readers, was one of the 50 ways Gray didn't want Juvia to react. As quick as a flash, she hugged Gray tightly, smothering him in her chest. Not a moment later, the sound of doors being unlocked was heard and in an act of desperation, Juvia threw Gray into her room. The doors flanking Juvia opened to reveal a fairly groggy Wendy and Cana.

"What's going on Juvia?" Cana asked her sleepily.

'Crap, what should Juvia say? Juvia doesn't want to lie to her friends, but Juvia also wants to keep Gray-sama safe from harm.' After internally debating with herself, Juvia responded with, "It's nothing, Juvia was just having another fantasy about Gray-sama asking her out. Sorry for waking you up."

"You know, if he doesn't ask you out, you should take initiative and ask him out." Cana told her as she walked back into her room. As Juvia was about to return to her room - as well as to return to Gray -, Wendy gave her a look that meant she knew about everything.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Wendy whispered to the water mage before going back to her room.

_FLASHBACK END_

* * *

"So that's why you yelled Gray's name that day." Levy spoke with a mischievous grin on her face. "So what happened afterwards?"

"I let him out through the window and tried to act normal for the rest of the day. When evening came, he brought me to a restaurant called 'Faithful Journey' in Onibas. Though it was located near the theatre and we could hear explosions going off from there, probably from a performance. You should have seen Gray's face when he kissed me, it was so cute!" Natsu and Gajeel started to snicker, ticking Gray off.

"Why you…." He separated himself from Juvia and got into a battle stance. "Ice Make …" Gray stopped the spell midway when he felt an aura of killer intent from Erza, who was glaring at him with red eyes. Literally, her chocolate brown eyes seemed to have shifted into red draconic ones, though it didn't really surprise Natsu - he was just scared to death, as well as the other men.

"Gray, were you really going to fight Natsu and Gajeel? Because if you were, I might give you a beating of a hundred lifetimes for ruining my first date with Natsu." Gray gulped in fear before rushing to the sides of Natsu and Gajeel, acting buddy-buddy with the two.

"No I wasn't… hahaha…. We're buddies, right guys?" The other two men nodded their heads frantically when Erza shifted her glare towards them.

"It's your first date Erza?" Levy snapped Erza out from her furious state of mind. "Cool, let's make it the best date ever!"

"Juvia agrees!"

"You're right, I should enjoy our first date and make the best out of it." She walked towards a shaking Natsu and latched herself to him, walking away. Levy and Juvia were left to collect their frozen boyfriend/mate.

'_Thank you so much Levy for saving me!_' Gajeel exclaimed in her mind, but she looked at him and gave him a glare.

'_I saved you because I wanted to personally punish you later for nearly ruining our date with your actions towards Gray._' Gajeel's eyes widened as Levy gripped his arm tightly, signifying that she was dead serious and he couldn't get away since her grip was like iron (**Pfft. Bwahahaha**) due to her dragon training. The both of them quickened their pace to reach Natsu and Erza. Meanwhile, Juvia was pulling Gray's ear for his recklessness while they walked. Finally, they reached the restaurant and were greeted by an auburn-haired hostess.

"Good Evening, my name's Ashina. May I ask what are yours?" The males gave her their names and she smiled as she lead them to their tables. To the mages' surprise, their tables were right next to each other. The men, being the gentlemen they are, pulled the chair for their dates to sit in. Once their dates finally sat, they went to their own seats and called for the waiters. Three men wearing tuxedos brought the menus to the awaiting couples and pulled out notepads to take their orders.

* * *

_WITH GAJEEL AND LEVY_

"I would like to have two medium-rare steaks with sauce and Fettuccini alfredo spaghetti. What will you be having Levy?" Gajeel handed the waiter his menu as he watched Levy contemplate on which meal she should choose.

"I would also like to have Fettuccini alfredo spaghetti as well as a Caesar salad. If you please." She gave the waiter her menu. He stiffly bowed before making his way to the kitchen to give their order. As they waited, they idly chatted with each other about expanding their home, which they acquired when they revealed to the guild their relationship.

* * *

_WITH GRAY AND JUVIA_

"I would like the 'Shrimp Sushi Surprise' and crab soup as a side dish." Juvia gave the waiter her menu and then waited patiently for Gray to make his decision.

"I'll be taking Beef Teriyaki with oyster sauce and rice." He handed the waiter his menu, along with a 1000 jewel note, "I'll also be having a bottle of 'Dreamy Rouge' full-bodied red wine. You'll get some extra jewels if you get me a good bottle in under 5 minutes." The gray-haired waiter's eyes shined in greed as he took the note and brisk-walked to the kitchen.

"You didn't have to buy us some expensive wine Gray-sama." Gray only chuckled at her.

"That's what you said when I gave you that necklace." She clutched the sapphire pendant while blushing softly. "You deserve the best I can give you Juvia, never forget that. Giving you something any less from the best would be a crime." Her blush grew darker and her eyes teared up, even though he said this a couple times before.

* * *

_WITH NATSU AND ERZA_

'Jeez, Gray really goes all out in his relationship.'

'Oooooh, someone's jealous that someone else one-upped him. Hehehehe.' Natsu grunted in annoyance, 'Oh. I'm sorry sweetheart, did I hit a nerve?'

'Erza, aren't you picking a meal yet?' He asked his mate, desperate to change the subject. 'Meh, I'll just make my order now.' With that, Natsu lowered his menu and gave it to the waiter.

"Smoked salmon and chicharon as a side dish, please." the man nodded then faced Erza.

"What would you like, miss?" The dragon-slayer couple could hear the impatient tapping of the man's foot.

"I would like to have….. Shrimp Tempura for my side dish and Grilled mackerel pike please. Also, may I have some of the 'Pearly Essence' old white wine please." As she handed the menu over, their waiter nodded like an automaton and made his way to the kitchen.

"White wine? I've always thought you were a red wine kind of person."

"You learn something new everyday." Erza spoke in a small, cute smile, 'Dear.' she added telepathically, knowing that it irks Natsu. "How about you? You never seem to drink alcohol or smoke tobacco."

"I find both as nuisances rather than treats as others would perceive it as. Alcohol ruins your rational thinking as well as reaction time while in or out of combat. Smoking tobacco shortens your life and ruins your teeth."

"Oh? And how do you know this?"

"Dragons are very intelligent creatures, Erza." With that said, Erza's 'Pearly Essence' wine arrived at the table in an ice bucket along with two elegant wine glasses. Before the waiter could walk away, Erza gave him one of the glasses.

"He doesn't drink." She explained to him when she saw the look of confusion on his face.

* * *

_WITH EVERYONE_

Minutes passed by as the 3 couples of Fairy Tail waited for their meals to arrive. At about 7 minutes after they ordered, waiters came with their meals.

They chowed down quickly, but not a pace that would disgust the other customers of the restaurant (ie. Natsu's eating pace 7 years ago). At the end of their meals, they were left slightly satisfied, but they still had room in their stomachs for either desserts or seconds.

"Excuse me!" Natsu called out. Another tuxedo clad waiter came to their table moments later. "Two slices of strawberry cheesecake, please. Oh and I have a 50% off coupon for the cheesecakes." He nodded and walked away. When Natsu faced Erza, she had an amused look on her face as she was sipping on her 3rd glass of wine.

"Yo, Salamander!" Natsu turned his head to the right, where Gajeel sat. "Where'd you get a coupon?"

"Oh, this lady named Katie gave it to me when she found out me and Erza were going to be here." Natsu didn't see Erza's eye twitch in annoyance when she heard him another lady's name. She decided to investigate about that later because the strawberry cheesecakes have arrived to their table.

* * *

_15 MINUTES LATER_

Natsu and Erza were exploring the palace gardens. It was 9:50 at that moment. Gajeel and Levy went exploring with them as well, but went back to their hotels a few minutes ago. Gray and Juvia immediately returned to their hotels after exiting the Everlasting Paradise.

"Natsu," The aforementioned mage's skin tingled when he heard her speak in her old authoritative tone, "Who's Katie?"

'I knew that mentioning her name is kind off a risky least now I know that she gets a bit jealous over the simplest of things refarding other women.' He inwardly sighed before explaining that she was the hostess of the restaurant when he made the reservation. "You know Erza, I can't help but notice that you're a little overprotective over me. What part of 'I can only love one person' don't you understand?"

"I perfectly understand the concept, it's just that I'm still a little paranoid about my heart breaking once more." Erza quietly admitted to Natsu.

"Erza, I will never, I repeat, never abandon you. I would do anything for you, even if I have to fight a 1000 dragons. You are too precious for me to let go. I love you too damn much." She blushed as he professed his love to her, yet she wasn't surprised on how passionately he had done it. In a fit of affection, she kissed him deeply and put her hands behind his head to hold him there. He retaliated and when they separated, both were breathless.

"Hey, I want to show you something." Natsu grabbed her hand and jogged towards a small jewelry store that had a sign which read:

Majiga's Moon Crystal Jewelry

Open from 9:00 PM - 3:00 AM

"Wait a minute, Majiga? The same Majiga that is well known for creating crystals out of moonlight?" She was astonished that Natsu brought her here.

"Yep."

"Natsu, do you know how expensive his jewelry can get?"

"Yep." He then led her inside the store and a middle-aged man with strands of silver in his wild (Einstein-like) black hair wearing a white dress shirt and black pants was waiting for them.

"Good Evening, my name is Luren Majiga, how may I help you?" The man smiled brightly at them.

"Good evening to you too, sir. My name is Natsu Dragneel and I would like a custom made necklace please."

"Drop the sir Natsu, I don't like formalities. Alright, tell me what you would want for the necklace."

"Gold chain, with a moon crystal shaped like a flame. Also I would like the crystal to be store magical energy and so that the wearer has access to the stored energy."

"Young man, that is a fairly request you have gave me…." Majiga tilted his head forward so that his eyes were shadowed by his hair.

"Mr. Majiga, if it's too much, we could -" Erza tried to change the request, but she was swiftly interrupted by the shopkeeper.

"I love a good challenge." He lifted his head and both mages noticed his eyes were glinting in excitement. "Give me 3 hours and you shall have the necklace just as you want it, if not better." The moonlight-make mage immediately turned around and opened a skylight to begin making the crystals. Our favourite dragon slayer couple (unless you're a GaLe, NaLu, or NaMi fan) decided to let the man focus on his work and left the store.

* * *

_AT HALF PAST MIDNIGHT_

Natsu and Erza returned to the store with the former having an excited look on his face while the latter has a worried look on her face. They spent the last three hours exploring the city even more, there was a point when they laid down on a hill outside of town to stargaze. They found Luren Majiga behind the the counter.

"Ah, you've arrived right on time, I've just finished the necklace." Luren produced a necklace from behind the counter and both Fairy Tail mages were pleased at the result. The gold chain was smooth and scratchless, the crystal was surrounded by a gold flame and true to his request, it was shaped like a flame. Unlike most the the crystals Mr. Majiga makes, the flame crystal was clear whereas the other crystals had some colour to them. Nevertheless, Natsu and Erza were very impressed at the man's skill.

"If you're wondering why the crystal is clear, how about let me show you." His hand glowed a deep purple and wisps of the deep purple light flowed into the crystal until the crystal was also in a deep purple colour. Afterwards, he wrapped his hands around the crystal and after glowing for a few seconds, the crystal became clear once more. "This was fairly tricky for me to make, that's why I requested 3 hours so that I have a good amount of time to experiment." Erza felt a little guilty about making the man work so hard for something so simple as a trinket.

"Young lady, don't worry about me. Making this may have been a challenge, but in the end, the satisfaction I receive from the people who order such challenging products trumps the difficulty of creating a magnificent work of art." She smiled as Majiga handed the necklace to Natsu, who proceeded to put it on Erza.

"Mr. Majiga, how much would this be?" Erza asked curiously.

"Well, a necklace of this type and beauty would be worth about 450 000 jewels." Natsu felt a cold sweat down the back of his neck at the price, he only had roughly 275 000 jewels left in his wallet and all banks are closed for the evening. "However, you two are my 500 00th customer and I think you deserve a little discount. I'll offer you a 40% discount." His troubles were blown away as he pulled out the desired amount (which is 270 000 jewels) and gave them to him.

"Thank you for your hospitality and expertise." Natsu and Erza bowed to the Moonlight Make mage/shopkeeper.

"And I thank you for giving me an opportunity to improve on my skills." Luren bowed to them as well before they left for their hotels. "What a wonderful couple, those two."

Natsu walked Erza to her hotel, but before he left, she decided to drag him into her room. Apparently, the thought of rewarding him for giving her such a marvelous gift came into her mind and she agreed to it. They woke up when the first rays of the sun entered her room.

"Good morning, dear." She groggily said with her eyes struggling to open. When she finally opened them, albeit slowly, Erza was met with the sight of a partially naked Natsu panicking. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Erza, I've got to go. I'll be in deep trouble if they find me in your room, especially if master finds out." He hastily put on his pants and dress shirt. The dragon slayer was looking for his jacket and tie when Erza, who was using the bedsheets to cover her body, handed them to him. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before he took the 'express elevator', aka the window.

"What the hell?" Was the first thing he uttered when he landed, for he exited the hotel the exact same time as a certain ice wizard and iron dragon slayer did. "You also spent the night with your girlfriends?"

"Yeah….." Gray and Gajeel sheepishly admitted.

"The same goes to you too, huh?" Gray said before the three of them jogged to their hotel. Fortunately for them, they arrived when everyone else was still asleep. So, they entered through the windows, stripped off their suits and got into their pajamas and pretended to sleep until the booming voice of Makarov 'woke' them up.

"**WAKE UP BRATS**" Ever single door in the 'Paradise City' hotel that belonged to a Fairy Tail mage swiftly opened and closed before all males were gathered at the lobby. They began to walk to the 'Indigo Rose' hotel, where all the ladies were waiting for them. Natsu, Erza, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel and Levy immediately got together as Fairy Tail made their way to the train station.

Before the three couples could enter the train, they were pulled to the side by a giddy Wendy Marvel, "You guys did it last night didn't you?" She spoke in a teasing voice and she giggled a bit when she saw all 6 mages making impersonations of tomatoes. "Don't worry, I can keep my lips shut."

"Thank you so much Wendy." Levy said and then sighed in relief.

"Only if you tell me details about those events in thorough detail." Now, instead of impersonating tomatoes, they began to impersonate snow as they watched the sky dragon slayer enter the train.

'_She can be the devil if she wants to.'_ Was the recurring thought that replayed in their minds over and over again. When they took their spots, the train began to move and Erza got motion sick. Feeling pity for his mate, he let her lean on his shoulder.

'_So how did you think about our first date?_' Natsu telepathically asked as she found a comfortable position while leaning on his shoulder.

'_In one word, Unforgettable._' With that they both drifted off to sleep for the rest of the train ride.

* * *

**A/N: BRUH, nearly 10k WORDS (THE FIC ALONE, EXCLUDING THE DISCLAIMER AND THIS MESSAGE)! LITTLE EXPERIMENT, IF YOU WANT FOLLOWING CHAPTERS TO BE THIS LONG, HIT ME WITH THE REVIEWS SAYING 'AYE'. IF NOT, SAY 'NAY'.**


	12. Another Day in Fairy Tail

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

(**A/N: Cue Spongebob narrator voice**)

Ah, Magnolia…. A peaceful and beautiful town, always so full of joy and happiness. However, today is different, for the streets were bare. As we move through the empty streets and admire the Kardia Cathedral, we hit the massive double doors of our favourite guild: Fairy Tail. With sweaty hands, we open the doors, we are beheld by a most interesting sight.

The floor of the guild building is littered with the unconscious bodies of the Fairy Tail mages. Not one mage wasn't unconscious, even the innocent Lisanna was unconscious on the bar counter while holding a mug like a teddy bear. The couples were latched onto each other, sound asleep with content smiles on their faces. On the far end on the guild, Evergreen can be seen leaning on Elfman's muscular body. Maria's head was on Hansuke's lap as her brother was asleep leaned on a pillar. Cana was unsurprisingly passed out near a barrel of booze, but beside her were the other unconscious (and completely hammered) members of the Raijinshuu along with Laxus. Lucy was sleeping in a sitting position at one of the bar stools. Mira was no where to be seen - nevermind, she's passed out on the balcony railing with an odd look on her sleeping face

Unfortunately for them, Makarov walked in with a needlessly large gong trailing behind him and when the author means needlessly large, he means that the gong was the size of the double doors. The old man had an evil grin on his face and it grew as he activated his Titan magic. He took the mallet, practiced swinging it a few times until he was content and then with a mighty swing….

***GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG***

**(**I recommend playing a gong soundfile to amplify the effect.)

The effect was hilariously instantaneous. Lucy fell backwards and her flailing legs caused Lisanna to fall from the counter, spilling the partially empty mug's contents on her. Elfman let out a 'manly' scream as he unintentionally punched Evergreen through the roof. Maria jumped up from her brother's lap and bonked her head on his chin. This action caused her to collapse on the floor and roll back and forth while yelling "Ow!" or "It hurts!" repeatedly. Mira jolted upwards and crashed to the ground. The couples didn't react so well. Unlike everyone else, they slowly opened their eyes and stood up. They turned their heads to face Makarov, who was on the verge of dying due to laughing so hard.

"Master…" Their guildmaster froze and turned to face 6 mages with sadistic smiles on their faces, "We would like to … 'talk'... with you." Sweating profusely at their approaching figures, Makarov turned around to find Natsu, Gray and Gajeel blocking his escape route. The sound of knuckles being cracked was heard behind him and once again he turned around. Bad mistake man. Erza, Levy and Juvia were emitting a dark aura a well as their boyfriends/mates.

"I'm sorry?" Was the last thing Makarov said before he felt the wrath of three couples. After their punishment (beating) of him, they began to head to the bar until they heard Makarov speak again. "The author gave me the idea and made me do it."

'_What are you talking about you senile old man?'_

'_You know, he has a point… You're the author, so you are technically controlling our actions.'_ Levy pointed out, the others nodded in approval. Behind them, the rest of the guild was beating a fully recovered and escaping Makarov….. Poor guy…

'_I may be the author, but I let you guys do what you want to do. Makarov wanted to wake everyone up in the most entertaining method I can think of. I gave him the idea, but he committed the act.' _Five out of the six mages weren't convinced and were already preparing to go to the author's world in order to teach him a lesson. '_Hey Natsu, help me out here… You're a nice guy, right? Talk some sense into them.'_

'_...' _the pinkette was silent, either he's thinking whether or not to believe me or he's thinking of a way to punish me harshly. I'll take my chances with the former. '_I may be a nice guy… But that doesn't mean I won't beat you for giving Makarov a way to disrupt my time together with Erza.'_

_`Mercy?'_

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' _Ow… Thanks guys, that beating was great! Yeah, especially when I thought I saw my life flash before my eyes.'_ If you guys want to know what happened, the 6 of them teleported to my world and knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I was tied by chains to a metal platform. First, the women took turns hitting/lacerating/drowning me. Then the men decided to have some fun. Natsu heated the platform to the point that my clothes were beginning to melt on my skin. Then Gray came along and froze the platform, parts of my skin were stuck on it. Finally, Gajeel took pity on me and untied me... Only for him to whack me on the backside while wielding a steel baseball bat.

Total time in a hospital: 5 months... Thanks.

'_You're welcome, because there's more people who would want to 'meet' you.'_

'_What do you mean Gray… I - … Oh dear."_ The entirety of the Fairy Tail guild is standing right front of me, my readers. Laxus has given me 15 seconds to type down my 'final' words before the beating commences.

'_I REGRET NOTHING!_'

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After most recent beating: a year and a half in the hospital.. Anyways, I bear no grudges to them, so on to the story.

After dealing with the author, Fairy Tail was back to its rowdy self. Especially since there was another brawl occurring. At the epicentre of the brawl were the catfighting and insulting Erza Scarlet, Levy McGarden and Juvia Lockser. It may be hard to believe, but those three women are the cause of this brawl, not that anyone's complaining. The main reason why they were at each other's necks was due to a small disagreement between the three.

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

"So how was your first date Erza?" Levy asked her fellow dragon slayer. All of the ladies were seated in a clump of tables while the males were scattered all over the place.

"It was amazing." Erza began to recap what happened during that night, barring the 'after-date' celebration. The girls were very amused and happy for her and some were jealous because she has such a cool boyfriend.

"Gajeel can make a better date than that happen. He is the best mate ever." Erza's eye slightly twitched at her comment.

"Levy, I'll consider that as an opinion and -"

"No, Erza. It is not an opinion, it is a fact. A fact that Gajeel is better in many aspects than Natsu." Erza's right eye twitched at Levy's snide comment.

"Oh my Levy, I didn't expect you, out of all people, to mix up their facts. Natsu is clearly superior to your mate. I mean, come on….. He beat Gajeel in a fight before and he's a wizard saint too." It was Levy's turn to react to Erza's jab towards Gajeel.

"Yes, that may be so Erza. But when it comes to romance and _*ahem*_ nocturnal activities, Natsu falls short to subpar." Some of the girls blushed at Levy's implications while Erza turned bright red, not from embarrassment or thoughts regarding the 'nocturnal activities', but from pure anger. Thankfully, she managed to compose herself for a moment before she could do anything that would cause Makarov to receive a heart attack.

"Hmph. Maybe you're just jealous that Natsu gave me a better time than all of your nights with Gajeel combined." Levy's index finger twitched so very slightly and her eyes narrowed. "Meh, it's not really surprising for a man who is compensating for something by having a small mate."

"**THAT'S IT!**" To everyone except Erza's surprise, Levy flipped the table and charged towards Erza. With her impressive reflexes, Erza put her hands up to block Levy's fist.

"Did you learn to fight from your mate also? I thought I recognized that weak as hell punch." The redhead taunted the bluenette, and caused said bluenette to get infuriated and throw more punches at Erza. None of them seemed to hit Erza until she stumbled on her own feet, allowing Levy to land a powerful punch on Erza's face. She went flying towards a random table, which happened to be where Natsu, Gray and Gajeel were seated.

"**WATCH OUT!**" She yelled as she closed the distance to the table. Before she could impact it, Natsu stopped her by acting as a shield for the table with his arms open. "Thanks Natsu."

"Why are you starting fights with her, Erza?" He asked while motioning to a bluenette iron dragon slayer that is being currently held back by the other girls. She then gave him a quick sitrep on what has occurred, After her little story, Natsu's eyes narrowed and his face turned into a scowl.

"**REDFOX!** Control your mate will you. Next thing you know she'll be starting an all-out war with mine."

"Aight." The iron dragon slayer then walked up to Levy to have a little chat. "Look, I can't believe I'm saying this, but try not to pick fights with Salamander's mate. The next time he finds out that you've been starting fights with her, he's gonna tear me a new one."

"Fine," She reluctantly agreed to his request. "Why are you so scared of him? Before you would just laugh off any threat he gives you."

"That was before he got ridiculously overpowered. Now, I've come to respect the guy for his strength, talents and social status as a 'Wizard Saint' and "Dragonkin'. Plus, he's a rep for the Dragon Council, I wouldn't want to make him unhappy." Levy disappointedly sighed before going up to Erza and apologizing.

"Good, now that you two have apologized, we will be leaving."

"What?" Both women looked at him in confusion.

"Yeah, Salamander, Ice Princess and I will be going on an S-class mission. Gajeel purposely ignored Gray's quiet insult towards him. "We should be back in a week or so."

"Alright, be safe." Levy told Gajeel as he gave her his signature 'Gihihi' before walking away with Natsu and Gray. "Man this week is going to be boring."

"I'll say, I got nothing good to do besides go fishing with Happy or going on missions."

"Hey Erza, I'm sorry."

"It's alright Levy, you've already apologized."

"You guys wouldn't be apologizing to each other and making a scene in the first place if you weren't arguing who is the better boyfriend." Erza and Levy's shoulders drooped in embarrassment. "Besides, it's obvious that Gray-sama is the superior boyfriend."

"**IS NOT!**" Both Dragon slayers argued.

"**IS TOO!**" the water mage retorted and before long, the three of them were fighting each other. However, they weren't throwing punches, they were pulling each other's hair, pulling cheeks slapping, and all that stuff that girls stereotypically do when fighting. How am I supposed to know, I don't find 'catfights' intriguing thus I don't pay attention on how catfighting girls interact with each other.

* * *

_BACK TO THE PRESENT_

Everyone at the guild is unconscious once more, not from exhaustion, but from trying to break up the catfighting girls. Apparently, the girls are still fighting and Makarov just drank his sorrows away as he knew that there is nothing he could do but wait for the fighting to end. Suddenly bells began to ring, and the fighting immediately stopped to the joy of Makarov's ailing heart.

"**ATTENTION MAGNOLIA, WE ARE NOW INITIATING THE GILDARTS SHIFT.**" The ground began to shake as buildings to move about to provide Fairy Tail's ace a pathway towards the guild building. The three ladies cleaned themselves up while in the background, Makarov was crying tears of joy. Moments later, the orangette walked into the guild hall. The man comically fell over when he saw the unconscious mages and a drunk Makarov.

"What happened here?" Before any of the ladies could answer, Makarov hugged Gildarts' legs while saying "Thank you" over and over again. Everyone conscious sweatdropped at his antics. After Makarov unlatched himself from Gildarts' leg and explained the situation. "That's a surprise, the three of you fighting over who has a superior boyfriend is not what I would expect from the three of you." The girls just shrugged their shoulders.

"We're just standing up to our beliefs." They said in unison.

"So Gildarts, how was your last mission?" Makarov asked.

"You know me, completed without difficulty. So where's Natsu, I was planning to go fishing with him."

"He left for a mission with Gajeel and Gray. They should be back after a week or so." Erza spoke, quite downcast along with the other ladies.

"That sucks."

"Hey did you know that Natsu-san is now a Wizard Saint." Maria piped into their conversation.

"Really?" The large man stared at the younger redhead with wide eyes. "A bigger reason for me to catch up with him!" They then went to the bar to chat even further, or drink some good whiskey in Gildarts' case. Thankfully, the rest of the guild began to wake up, albeit some were really grumpy towards the three.

"Erza you're lucky that I've changed, if not I would've whooped your sorry butt from one side of Fiore to another." The barmaid glared at Erza as she gave Gildarts his whiskey before she proceeded to wipe the counter.

"Is that a challenge Mira?" Erza returned the glare with full force. "Because I hope you can support that statement."

"You wanna go?" Mira threw the cloth on the ground as she released a bit of her magic.

"Anytime, any place." Erza stood up from her stool and released some magic of her own.

"**RAAAGHH**!" Mira let out a battle cry as she jumped from behind the counter to tackle Erza. Once again, within a span of 3 minutes after the last brawl stopped, another infamous Fairy Tail brawl began. However, unlike the previous one, Makarov intervened to prevent any more damages from occurring - and more money to be lost.

"**THAT'S ENOUGH YOU BRATS!**" Everyone stopped mid-punch or mid-mug throw. "Erza, Mira…. Since the both of you started this fight, it's up to you two to fix the mess you made." Erza and Mira stared at him as if he was crazy and then audibly growled when they saw Juvia and Levy snickering. "That goes to you too, Levy and Juvia." Everyone except for the previously mentioned mages laughed, that is until the 4 females glared at them.

"Alright master, we'll do it." The four of them dispersed and cleaned up various places of the fairly large guild hall. Many of the members wanted to make fun of them so badly, but almost all wanted to live a long life and not die from the hands of four angry women. The keywords were _**almost all**_.

"Hey you four," Laxus boomed while putting on a mischievous grin that reminded some members of Gildarts' 'trollface'. "Enjoying clean up duty?" If the four people he was making fun of weren't 4 of the currently strongest women of Fairy Tail, everyone would've been laughing. Unfortunately for Laxus, those four ladies emitted a dark aura that made every sane person in the guild run to the nearest underground bunker. The only people who stayed, and you could say that they're the insane ones, besides Makarov, the women and Laxus were Gildarts and his drunk daughter, the other dragon slayers and the Exceeds.

"Laxus, have you written your will yet?" Erza took a step towards him, along with the others. Laxus fearfully shook his head with wide eyes. "Well then, that would be bad since no one would know what you want when you….. prematurely pass away." Then she disappeared, only to appear in front of Laxus. Her face was plastered with a rather predatory and dark grin and her eyes shone with an evil glint.

'_What have I gotten myself into?'_ Before Erza could throw a punch at him, the guild doors suddenly slammed open. Everyone, except an escaping Laxus, turned to see who caused the doors to open. Millions of visible question marks flew around their heads, trying to process why are Natsu, Gray and Gajeel back waaaaaaaay too early.

"Yo!" Natsu cheerily said before he was suffocated by a comically teary eyed Erza. He saw from the corners of his eyes that his friends suffered a similar fate.

"**WAAAAAAAAH!** Why did you leave me alone Natsu?" Erza bawled her eyes out as Natsu was struggling to breathe. He tried to push her off, but this only made the redhead hug him even tighter. Before he could faint from lack of oxygen, she was separated from him by a worried Gildarts. Natsu greedily sucked in some air and chuckled a bit when he noticed that his friends are still in the same predicament.

"How's it going kid?" Gildarts let out a small smirk before helping Natsu up.

"Nothing much, you?"

"Same old, same old; except that I just found out that you've become a wizard saint. Congrats."

"Thanks, so you're done your mission."

"Yeah, it was easy as pie."

"Of course it was, you wouldn't be Fairy Tail's ace if you had difficulty in a simple S-class mission. In fact, you're lucky you were on an S-class mission. When we got to our client, he decided to cancel the contract because he felt that mages weren't necessary for what he was going to do."

"What was the request?" Gildarts asked, with Erza trying to rescue a suffocating Gajeel from an overly attached Levy in the background.

"Protect a noble's convoy of supplies as it journeys from Crocus to Onibas. Don't really know why it's S-class, but the pay was 3.6 million jewels."

"That sucks kid. By the way, look behind you." Natsu did as he was told and saw the arguing quartet of Fairy Tail women. His eyes twitched in annoyance before he walked up to them and separated them.

"Alright, what's going on. I thought I told you to not fight Levy and Levy, I thought that Gajeel told you to stop starting fights with Erza."

"But they started it." The dragon slayers' mates followed their fingers, which were being pointed at Mira and Juvia, who seemed to have found their nails and the floor very interesting. Natsu shook his head towards Erza's and Levy's childish attitude.

"I'll let it slip, just this once." Then Natsu walked into the guild hall, only to turn around and walked back towards the ladies with a look of confusion on his face. "Where's everyone else?"

"Laxus made fun of them when I tasked them with clean-up duty and for the sake of their lives, everyone except the ones present ran to the nearest underground bunker." Makarov provided context for Natsu. The pinkette, joined with his black-haired friends and Gildarts, stared at Makarov with wide eyes before falling on the ground laughing so hard that their lungs began to hurt.

"Hahahah… I can… Hahahah…. only…hahaha. imagine…hahahaha…. everyone's faces...hahahaha." Gajeel tried to speak in between roaring fits of laughter. This went on for a few minutes before they calmed down and regained their composure. "So do you have any means of contacting them, old man?"

"I think I do, one of the mages should have a Communication Lacrima on them. Let me get one." Makarov ran as fast as his short, old legs could carry him to his office and back. In his hands was the same lacrima ball that Erza used to contact Jellal when Team Natsu confronted the escaped members of 'Panther's Maw'.

_*ring*_

_*ring*_

_*ring*_

"H-h-hello?" A slightly paranoid voice answered the lacrima. The owner of the voice was Lucy.

"Lucy, how are you? Are the others with you?" A collection of muffled 'hello's' were heard in the background, answering Makarov's question. "That's good, I would like to inform everyone that the storm has passed." A few mages could be heard singing "_Hallelujah!"_ in the background while the rest were heard partying like there was no tomorrow.

"**NOW GET YOUR SORRY BUTTS HERE!**" Natsu, Gray, Gildarts, and Gajeel yelled into the lacrima. The partying and singing quickly stopped and the connection was cut off. A few minutes later, the breathless and fearful mages of Fairy Tail burst through the double doors.

"What's up?" Gray nonchalantly asked everyone.

"Nothing much, I just nearly lost my hearing because four people yelled at me through a communication lacrima." Lucy sarcastically said.

"Hehehe, sorry." Gildarts spoke, and that was when people finally realized he was there.

"Hey! Gildarts is back!" Jet yelled and everyone began to dogpile the orangette. The large man squirmed underneath the pile before he was pulled out by his daughter.

"~Thanks Cana-chan.~"

"No problem old man." Without her noticing, Gildarts began to cuddle with her. "Gildarts! How many times must I tell you to not go all lovey dovey with me just cause I'm your daughter." She exclaimed while trying to pry herself from her over affectionate father. She soon got away, but bumped into Erza, who was glaring at Levy.

"Sorry, Erza." The redhead shifted her gaze towards the brunette, making her squeak and flinch in fear, but Erza's face softened at the recognition of a friend.

"It's alright, Cana. My mind's been acting up lately." Then a proverbial light bulb lit up in Erza's mind. "Actually Cana, could you wait here for a second."

"Okay?" She watched Erza run towards her new rival and speak a few words with her. At the end of their conversation, Levy and Erza ran back towards Cana, who took note of the competitive flare in their eyes. "Soooo...?"

"To put it simply, Erza challenged me to a competition." Levy vaguely explained.

"I still don't see why you two came to me." Cana raised an eyebrow at the two.

"The competition is to drink more shots than you." Erza clarified. The guild's top drunk looked at them with wide eyes before she broke into a small smile.

"Need I remind you two that the both of you are nigh completely alcohol intolerant." The dragon slayers growled at her, causing her to quickly withdraw her comment.

"Let's see about that… **MIRA!**" Erza called for her old rival.

"Yes?" The barmaid materialized behind the 3 of them, effectively scaring 2 of the 3.

"Three shot glasses and the strongest bottle of alcohol you have." The platinum blonde's eyes widened as she brought the pieces together and figured out what they were up to.

"Make it four." Juvia piped in, with a smug smirk on her face and a competitive flare in her eyes much like Erza and Levy.

"Are you sure?" All of them nodded stiffly before she left to get them their order. Meanwhile as they waited, Juvia set up a table while Levy got some chairs. Their actions caught the attention of many guild members. Soon, everyone had their eyes on the table where the four were seated. No later than a minute after their request, Mira came and brought them the shot glasses and a bottle of fire whiskey.

Cana filled each glass with whiskey and before anyone of them could drink a shot, a booming voice was heard, "**WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!**" The crowd parted to reveal a pretty furious Natsu Dragneel. Erza, Hansuke and Maria audibly gulped as they remembered past conversations of not consuming alcohol. He slowly stalked forward while giving off an aura of rage. Levy noticed that Erza's hands were slightly shaking and couldn't help but freeze when Natsu stared down at all of them.

Natsu picked up the bottle and examined it. He brought the opening to his nose and took a quick whiff. He recoiled a bit before throwing the bottle outside, ignoring the fact that it hit a dumpster cat. What he did next surprised everyone. From the inside of his trenchcoat he produced a small metallic flask and set it down on the table.

"The contents of the previous bottle were weak compared to this." All eyes were now on him, "There's enough alcohol there to provide you guys four shots each. It's called 'Dragonic Moonshine' and that stuff's powerful as hell, so I wouldn't be surprised if you pass out after the first shot."

"**OI NATSU-SAMA!**" The aforementioned mage turned to see an interested Hanuske and Maria. "Why do you have a flask of strong alcohol? You firmly stated that you don't drink and despise the act."

"They're right, Natsu. On our date, you told me the same things. So why do you have some alcohol on you?" The fire dragon slayer simply chuckled at them before answering.

"Igneel loves the stuff and he always wants me to bring a flask to him every time I visit him. The main ingredients are only found in the Hakobe Mountain so he can't get it on his own."

"Oh." a large portion of the guild spoke in unison while Makarov, Macao and Wakaba were looking through maps and books in order to find how to make the stuff. Cana shrugged her shoulders and ordered everyone to spill the contents of their glasses so that she could fill it up with the moonshine.

"Here goes nothing." Juvia muttered to herself before downing the alcohol along with her friends/rivals. The drink went down her throat, leaving a sensation of burning as it travelled towards her stomach. Gray watched her from the sidelines worriedly as her cheeks began to turn to pink. "_*hiccup*_ Wooooooow…. Natshuu-shama, youuu're riight….. Thissshh shtuff ish shho shhtrong and *_hiccup*_ yet shoo gooooood."

"Juvia!" Gray exclaimed while pushing past the crowd to get to his girlfriend.

"Gray-shama?!" She looked towards the source of his voice and attempted to walk towards it. Only for her to stumble and fall after 3 steps. Gray saw this and tried even harder to reach Juvia. When he did, the ice mage picked her up and helped her walk home. "Awwww… Gray-shama, Juviia wantched to drink shome moreee."

"Juvia, you're intoxicated enough. We're going home so you can recover." He firmly stated. The water mage glared at him before pouting and letting tears form at the edges of her eyes.

"Oh…. I'm shorry Gray-shama…." She hung her head low in disappointment to herself. "I'm not thinking shtraight _*sniff*_. You're right, I should go home and recover."

"_*sigh*_ I'm glad that you agree with me. Look on the bright side, when you recover I might just treat you out again." Juvia's eyes sparkled for a moment before bile began to rise up on her throat and she quickly put a hand to her mouth as she turned slightly green. "Crap, we gotta go! Bye!" Gray swiftly picked her up and ran towards their home.

Meanwhile with the other participants, Cana was feeling slightly woozy while Levy and Erza were unsurprisingly unfazed, albeit the light shade of pink on their cheeks.

"**HIT ME!**" They both yelled while shoving their shots in Cana's face. The poor card mage struggled to pour the liquor into the glasses before she poured some of her own. She looked into the glass to watch her own reflection in the swirl of dark blue and clear liquid. '_What have I gotten myself into. As long as I got a good drink, I suppose this is alright. I gotta ask Natsu how to make this though, it's really good.'_

She downed her shot in unison with Levy and Erza. Everyone at the sidelines were watching her expectantly, with the majority putting bets on her. The only ones who bet on Levy were Pantherlily and Gajeel, whereas only Happy and Natsu betted on Erza. The people who bet on Cana were in such a big surprise when the guild's heaviest drinker toppled backwards with a snore.

"**WHAAAAT!**" Their jaws dropped as the jingling of lost cash was vibrating in their ears. Never in their life would they expect two of the most (formerly) alcohol intolerant mages to beat Cana. Even Gildarts was bawling at two things, his daughter lost and he lost about 5000 jewels. The real question was who was going to last longer, Erza or Levy.

"Feeling sick, Titania?" Levy lightly slurred through her words. Erza simply smirked at her while pouring shots into their glasses.

"In your dreams."

* * *

_3 (EACH) SHOTS LATER._

"I can't believe it! Those two are still going!" Warren exclaimed with wide eyes. However, mostly everyone noticed that both of their eyelids were getting heavy and their breaths were short and laboured. Their faces were nearly as red as Erza's hair and they were struggling to grasp the shot glasses.

"I _*hiccup*_ shaaaall beat'chyou, Errzzzha *_hiccup*_ Shcarlet."

"Dittchoo, Levvy *_hiccup*_ McGar'n." Before they could down their shots for the 6th time, they were stopped by Natsu and Gajeel.

"Alright, that's enough."

"~Buuuuuut Naaatshuuu,~" Erza was dragging the vowels in her words and was slurring heavily, "~I neeeeear'y beeeeeat herrrrrr, nya.~"

'_Nya?'_ the entire guild thought in unison. Then Erza was enveloped in a bright light, signifying that she was requipping. Her choice of attire shocked everyone present. She was wearing her Flight Armour, which was a revealing set of armour featuring a cheetah patterned bra, revealing black shorts, a belt with a cloth hanging over her left leg, dark armbands, mid-thigh stockings, asymmetrical high heel boots, a pair of cheetah ears and a cheetah tail. Many of the males in fainted at the sight or from immense blood loss. Natsu himself was blushing a storm, especially because Erza was hugging him tightly from the sides and she was peppering his face with kisses.

"E-E-Erza?" he stuttered. This was one of the last things he expected Erza to do, especially in front of all their nakama.

"~Hmmmmmmm? Are you worrid about meeee, nya?~" She giggled lowly, causing Natsu breath to hitch because it was so cute and very uncharacteristical. "~That wazsh one theeng that made me fall for you Natshu-kuun, nya.~"

"Okay, we've got to get you home Erza. Now." Natsu then picked her up bridal style and began to walk home. He caught the image of a Gajeel trying to comfort an over emotional Levy at the corner of his eye and couldn't help but smile.

"Hehehehe," Another uncharacteristic giggle from Erza as she enjoyed the ride like three year old, "~Natshu-kuuun iszh sho shtrong, nya.~" When they got home, the first thing Natsu did was bring Erza to the bathroom. And it was a good decision because the moment he stepped foot in the bathroom, she jumped from his arms to proceed hugging the toilet bowl while emptying her stomach from its alcoholic contents. The entire night was spent throwing up, in Erza's part, and soothing his mate, in Natsu's case.

The next morning, Erza woke up in the bathroom with a horrible headache and a disgusting taste in her mouth. It felt like someone was punching the back of her head at the rate of 1000 punches per minute with the strength of a Vulcan.

"Good, you're awake." She slowly turned around to face her beloved, who was holding a cup of steaming contents. Natsu walked up to her and handed her the cup. The scent of freshly ground herbal leaves filed her nostrils as she slowly drank from the cup. "That's a tea made with herbs that supposedly helps cure or at least mediate the side effects of a hangover."

True to his word, the throbbing in her head lessened to a more bearable annoyance. "What happened yesterday? Everything is a blur to me." Natsu then gave her a recap of what happened yesterday, he left nothing out. When he mentioned her actions towards him after their little competition, Erza blushed heavily and began to apologize to him.

"It's alright Erza. At least now you have learnt your lesson." She nodded furiously.

"Never drink alcohol to that extent ever again. In fact, I feel that barring alcohol from my life is a good choice." Natsu clapped at her words before walking away. "Where are you going Natsu?"

"Making breakfast and waking up the other residents of our humble abode." She finished the rest of the tea and stood up slowly, for her knees were weak from the hangover. Erza walked to the kitchen to meet a hyperactive Happy, a groggy Hansuke and a ready-for-action looking Maria.

"Good morning." She greeted them, they greeted her back. Happy flew towards Erza and landed on her shoulder.

"You okay, Erza?" The exceed looked genuinely worried for his surrogate father's mate, which kind of makes Erza his stepmother since Lisanna was his real surrogate mother.

"I'll be fine, Happy." She weakly smiled at him as she sat down on the table.

"Ugh, after seeing that little fiasco with the four of you yesterday, it finally dawned to me why Natsu-sama banned alcohol from our lives." Maria spoke and Hansuke minisculely nodded in support.

"After our little fiasco, I'll be sure to never touch alcohol ever again." They shared a laugh just as Natsu came in with the food. They ate whilst chatting amongst each other before preparing to head to the guild.

When they got there, it was as lively as it always was. Brawling on one side of the guild, socializing in another. They made their way towards the bar and sat down, spectating the brawl. It wasn't long before Hansuke, Maria and Natsu were dragged into it, much to Erza's chagrin. She needed someone to talk to.

"Good morning Erza!" The cheery voice of her old rival came from behind her. Erza spun around to face a smiling Mira.

"Good morning to you too, Mira." Erza smiled back at her.

"Are you feeling alright?" Mira caught a flying mug of mead and spilled its contents into a nearby sink before she proceeded to clean it.

"Just a weak headache, Natsu gave me a herbal tea to kind of mitigate the pain."

"I see. Oh look, here come the others." Erza looked over her shoulder to see Levy, Juvia, and Cana walking towards her. She greeted them and they sat down at the bar, chatting with each other.

"**EVERYONE! WE HAVE A FEW WORDS TO SAY.**" The brawling immediately stopped and everyone's attention was directed to the three men at the stage in front of the guild. "**THE EVENTS THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY HAVE TO BE ERASED FROM YOUR MEMORIES AND YOU WILL NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO ARGUE BECAUSE IF YOU DO…. YOU'LL REGRET IT." **Natsu stated, looking towards his buddies in support. They simply nodded at him.

"That is all." Gray said as they made their way towards their respective girlfriends. They ignored the either hateful glares or pitiful looks that some of the men were sending them. Though everyone knew better than to go against their wishes, because if those three had their minds set on the same thing, whether it be blowing up the Magic Council or protecting the honour of their girlfriends, the only thing that will stop them is if their goals are met.

"Thanks guys, but I pretty sure that wasn't necessary." Cana said, earning questioning looks from the men and nods from the women.

"Yeah sure, because letting everyone remember you fall unconscious after 2 shots of Draconic Moonshine, Juvia stumbling while getting to Ice princess here, Levy going all emotional on me and Titania in cheetah patterned underwear is fine." Gajeel sarcastically said, causing the women to turn red.

"Nevermind, I take that back." Cana quickly said. The men grinned wickedly before conversing with themselves and their girlfriends. Suddenly, Levy and Gajeel's noses twitched and their faces contorted into a hateful scowl.

"Erza, they're back for more." Natsu was confused at Levy's choice of words, but judging from Erza's sadistic smile, he had an idea who she was referring to. The guild doors opened to reveal Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney along with their Exceed partners. As quick as a flash, everyone at Fairy Tail began to surround them with sick smiles on their faces, except for Natsu, who was still trying to decipher the situation.

"H-H-Hello guys, how's it going?" Sting stuttered, feeling a cold sweat go down his back. Fairy Tail remained quiet and kept glaring at them.

"State your business Sabertooth mage." Mira spat at them, venom evident in her voice.

"W-W-We w-w-would like t-t-to invite you once m-more to next year's Grand Magic Games."

"Guys, give them some breathing room will you. Plus, I wanna see them with my own two eyes." Rogue and Sting felt relieved that someone was actually a little lenient with them, but they were also worried because that person may be out for their blood. The crowd parted to reveal a man clad in a red short-sleeved trenchcoat over a white dress shirt, black pants and black boots with a hood covering the majority of his face. The man walked towards the two, and they felt the sheer amount of magical power that he was emitting.

"Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney?" They nodded slowly, afraid to anger the man. "So you're the two punks who were desecrating and insulting Natsu Dragneel's honour." Unfortunately for Sting, Lector - who wasn't there at last year's tournament and visit to Fairy Tail - decided to speak up with a voice filled with pride and arrogance.

"So, what of it?" He shivered when he heard the growling of the Fairy Tail mages and felt a spike of magic from them. The man simply held up his hand and Fairy Tail stood back, lowering their magic.

"It's because," The man gave them a wide, feral grin before pulling down his hood to reveal a head of pink hair. "I am Natsu Dragneel." Both Sabertooth mages paled at the sight of the man. His golden dragon eyes seemed to stare deep into their soul with thoughts on how to make them suffer underlying that calm visage.

"Hmph, Sting ain't scared, He's the most powerful mage ever!" Lector puffed his furry maroon chest, seemingly unafraid of Natsu's intimidating aura.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch, a green exceed in a pink frog onesie raised his paw in the air in support of Lector's bold statement. However, their owners were sweating like pigs at the moment, silently begging for the both of them to shut up before they could end up in deep trouble. Fairy Tail, on the other hand, was silently waiting in anticipation on how Natsu will react to these comments. To everyone's surprise, Natsu laughed heartily and almost insanely.

"Of course, of course. Why else would they come here, boast about their strength and call me weak? It's obvious that they are very strong, much stronger than I will ever be." The sarcasm in his voice was lost to the naive Exceeds. "In fact, I'll let them fight me at the same time so that they can show you two how _weak_ I am." Natsu's heavy emphasis on weak was ignored by Frosch and Lector, but was paid attention to by the Sabertooth mages and Fairy Tail.

"Any time, any place." Lector once again opened his prideful mouth.

'_Lector, just please… Shut up before Fairy Tail beats me within a centimetre of my life again like last year._' Sting silently pleaded to his partner as he watched Natsu with cautious eyes.

"Alright, come with me." The pink-haired dragon slayer began to walk into the guild, only for him to open a portal leading to a lush clearing in a forest. He walked right through it, with Sting and Co. following him and Fairy Tail entering last. Now they were where Natsu fought Fairy tail when he returned.

"Erza," His mate turned to face him with a wild look in her eyes. "I would like you to recommend some handicaps for me."

"**WHAT!**" Sting and Rogue exclaimed in unison.

"Hmmm, " Erza looked up for a moment to think, "Blindfolded, no magic, no weapons." Sting and Rogue's jaws dropped at her 'handicaps'.

"Wise choices." He began to prepare himself for the fight, '_Sweetie.'_ he added telepathically.

'_Finally!'_ She sounded relieved that he is finally using pet names like her. Natsu simply chuckled at her before blindfolding himself.

"Damn, I was starting to like your little gifts." He said while handing her the knives. With those in hand, she walked away.

"Freed!" the green-haired rune mage was heard approaching Natsu. "Cast blindness on me as an extra precaution and do you know any runes that will prevent me from using magic?"

"Sorry, Natsu I don't. You're going to have to apply a lot of self-control and discipline in this one." Freed drew his rapier and yelled, "_**Dark Ecriture: Blindness!**_" Natsu's world turned black and he stayed still for a moment for his other senses to adjust with the lost of one of their 'family members'. He then began to remove his upper clothing as well as his boots, leaving him topless and barefoot.

"Alright, bring the others to the edge of the field and cast a protection spell, these two might go nuts on me." Natsu heard Freed run away from him as he turned to face the closest set of heartbeats. "You two ready?"

"Yes." They curtly replied.

Before they could start, Makarov had to tell Natsu something, "Natsu, you're going to have to explain this to the council afterwards. They wouldn't want a representative of the Dragon Council as well as a Wizard Saint picking fights with other mages." Natsu heard both of their heartbeats quicken at the realization of who their opponent was. He also figured out Makarov's plan on revealing his prestigious titles, he wanted to intimidate these fools and to prepare them on what may come to them.

"Understood.." Natsu raised his index and middle finger and gestured for Sting and Rogue to attack him. And attack him, they did.

They both decided to attack him head-on, starting with their fists to test his hand-to-hand proficiency. Sting proceeded to throw a punch towards Natsu's face while Rogue kicked his ribcage.

Natsu shifted his head to the right to dodge the punch and caught Rogue's kick. He pushed Rogue so that he would hit Sting before stepping back a few steps. Both Sabertooth mages looked at each other as if in a telepathic conversation and then nodded.

They ran to opposite sides of Natsu, who just stood there in a battle stance. Then they launched themselves at him simultaneously. When they reached him, they began to throw a series of punches and kicks. To their surprise, Natsu was either blocking or dodging the blows with ease.

'_They've gotten faster since last year. It's safe to assume that they've gotten stronger as well.'_ Laxus thought as he watched Natsu dodge the blows.

However, Natsu screwed up for a moment and a punch managed to hit him square in the chest. His defense crumbled as he teetered backwards. The both of them used this momentary lapse of defenselessness to their advantage. Sting punched Natsu in the solar plexus and immediately after, Rogue kicked him on the chin, causing the pinkette to be airborne for a few seconds. While he was airborne, Sting kicked him towards the crowd. Before Natsu's flying body got within 100 metres of Fairy Tail, the shadow dragon slayer appeared from the shadows and punched the fire dragon slayer into the ground, creating a human sized indent. Rogue jumped away and regrouped with Sting, both with triumphant yet nervous smiles on their faces.

"Ha! Look at this guy. Thinks he's so tough to fight the both of them with handicaps." Lector boasted.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch once again raises his paw into the air.

"Shut yer yap and keep watchin'." Gajeel barked at them, and they had to shut up so that they wouldn't piss him off. As they continued watching and to their surprise, Natsu stood back up with a smirk on his face.

"Wow, you guys sure pack quite a punch." He cracked his neck and began to stretch. The smirk never left his face. " I commend you for making the best out of that intentional slip-up of mine."

"**WHAT!**" All the present Sabertooth members exclaimed while the Fairy Tail mages chuckled due to Natsu's deviousness.

"My turn." Natsu launched himself to the now-ready Twin Dragons of Sabertooth. He threw a punch that could break bones of normal people towards Sting's crossed arms. The blonde dragon slayer went flying from the force of the blow. Rogue was about to retaliate but he didn't see a spinning back elbow from Natsu. Natsu smelled Sting closing the distance between them from behind and turned around to catch a magic-enhanced fist. The impact produced a shock wave that ruffled both mages' hair. Natsu extended his other hand to catch another magic-enhanced fist, in courtesy of Rogue.

"Good. Good. You're finally using magic." Natsu's smirk transitioned into a maniacal grin. The grin gave the both of them the creeps. Before they could land another hit, Natsu pushed them away.

"_**White Dragon's/Shadow Dragon's..**_" They breathed in deeply as they reared their head backwards. Natsu's ear twitched at recognition of what they're about to do.

"_**Roar!**_" A laser of white escaped Sting's mouth at the same time a torrent of shadows escaped Rogue's mouth. To everyone's surprise, whether in a stroke of insanity or need for adrenaline, Natsu ran towards the two roars. When the roars and Natsu were about to meet, he jumped upwards and towards Sting and Rogue. They immediately canceled their roars.

"_**Shadow Dragon's Slash!**_" Rogue's right arm was engulfed in shadows and he jumped towards Natsu to punch him. He wasn't expecting his target to grab hold of his arm to pull him in and punch him straight in the face. Rogue righted himself before he landed. When he looked up to find his target, let's just say he got acquainted to Natsu's right foot.

"_**White Dragon's Purity Fist!**_" Natsu turned around and momentarily recreated 'The Matrix' to dodge the blow. Sting's eyes widened when he dodged the blow and realized that they were way too close for comfort. Natsu planted a hand on the ground and bicycle kicked Sting. When he felt the kick connect, he got into a crouched position and launched himself into the air once more.

When Natsu got to a higher altitude than Sting, he straddled the White Dragon Slayer and began to punch him at an agonizingly fast pace as they descended. 50 ft from the ground, Natsu used Sting as a springboard and jumped away.

A dust cloud was formed and the crowd watched in anticipation as to whether or not the twin dragons of Sabertooth have been defeated.

"_**White Drive/Shadow Drive!**_" The shadow cloud dissipated to reveal the more determined looking mages surrounded in an aura of their respective colour (white for Sting, black for Rogue).

"Oh? A power up?" Natsu tilted his head to the side in curiosity. The both of them kept quiet, but proceeded to attack Natsu with brand new vigor. Each of their punches felt much stronger than before and they were moving almost twice as fast. Instead of being worried, Natsu just got more excited. It was evident when his grin got bigger.

They broke his rock hard defense through their immense speed boost and punched him in the chest at the same time. He went flying for a few metres before he rolled to a stop. When he stood back up to face his opponents, he was met with a White Dragon's Claw to his stomach. The blow wasn't that powerful, it barely even knocked the wind out of him. What was so devastatingly effective about the blow was that a stigma of the white dragon was engraved on Natsu's abdomen. The stigma prevented Natsu from moving his body.

"Feeling comfortable?" Sting's cocky voice entered Natsu's ears. "Don't get used to it." Natsu felt his opponent's magic levels fluctuate to about Gajeel's level before they focused into one point.

"_**Holy Nova!**_" Sting punched Natsu in the abdomen and created an explosion of light. When the light disappeared and everyone's eyes readjusted, they were met with a sight of Sting standing triumphantly near Natsu, who was lying down on his back in the centre of a shallow crater.

"Natsu?" Erza whispered to herself a little worriedly. Even though she was dead sure that he won't be defeated easily by a bunch of punks. Sting, on the other hand, believed that he finally beat his role model. He walked towards the prone pinkette, unconsciously lowering his guard. Big mistake.

Natsu swept Sting's legs from underneath him and then head-butted the falling dragon slayer. Before he could do any more, Rogue rose from his shadow and tried to hit him with a Shadow Dragon's Roar. The keyword is tried because Natsu effortlessly dodged the magical attack. The pinkette then jumped away to create some distance between the two.

"How are you able to move?" Sting asked with wide eyes. Natsu responded by laughing softly.

"Your recent attack released me from that stigma. I knew the effects of that mark, so I decided to let you hit me so that it dispels from the sheer force from the attack."

"But Holy Nova is a powerful attack that would've knocked anyone unconscious."

"That is true to a point. However, compared to the damage that dragons dish out, it's pretty weak."

"**WHAT! I'LL SHOW YOU WEAK!**" Sting's and Rogue's magical levels surged to near Gildarts' levels. The crowd saw scales begin to form on their bodies, and their canines elongating.

"Is that what I think it is?" Hansuke asked.

"Dragon Force? Yeah, it is kid." Gildarts answered, "Those two somehow can access it at will. I fought them at this state once, along with Laxus. We won, but not easily."

"Tch, knowing Natsu, he's going to find this amusing rather than challenging." Laxus said. A large collection of 'Aye!'s were heard from the crowd. The Sabertooth exceeds stood there in shock at Fairy Tail's unwavering faith in Natsu.

"Are you all insane?" All eyes shifted to Lector, "Dragon Force is when a dragon slayer is just as powerful as a dragon, there is no chance that pinkie over there can beat them."

"I can vouch against that." Lector stared at a straight-faced Erza. "I have witnessed a first-generation dragon slayer's Dragon Force up close and felt its magical pressure. Comparing theirs to it is like comparing my magical pressure to Master Makarov's. And that was 7 years ago, Natsu has grown undeniably stronger since then."

"Impossible, Sting and Rogue can and will beat that pinkie."

"Fro think so too!" Erza merely grunted in annoyance before focusing her attention to Natsu's fight. Sting and Rogue's transformation had just finished.

"Ahh. Dragon Force, I presume." Natsu said with a hint of playfulness, "This fight just got better." Sting and Rogue kept quiet and began their assault. They moved at speeds that surprised Natsu and Fairy Tail.

Sting unleash a flurry of punches with each successive punch increasing in speed and power. Natsu found himself struggling to keep up with Sting. Then he realized that Rogue was missing, but he was a little too late. The black-haired dragon slayer appeared to his side with a plan in mind. He threw a magically enhanced punch at Natsu at the same time Sting did. Natsu was forced to block both at the same time. At the same time, they latched onto Natsu's arms, preventing him from pushing them away or jumping away.

"_**White Dragon's Claw!**_" Sting hit Natsu once more in the abdomen. Once more, Natsu is paralyzed due to the stigma produced by the blow.

"_**Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!"**_ Rogue turned into a shadow and began to wrap himself around Natsu's paralyzed form. As shadows to engulf him, a large amount of blows were dealt to him. From the outside, his pain-filled cries were heard, greatly worrying Erza. The assault ended seconds after it began and an airborne Natsu was revealed.

"_**White Dragon's Holy Breath!**_" Sting released a large amount of light magic from his mouth towards Natsu's falling body. When the beam hit, a large explosion occurred, with a blast radius at least 3 times larger than Holy Nova's. It seems that they aren't taking any chances with Natsu winning.

When the explosion died down, Natsu's body was no where to be seen, as well as his scent. Erza was frantically looking around for her mate, she even called out to him telepathically. Sting and Rogue were also equally worried since they would be in such deep trouble when they find out that they overdid it and vaporized Natsu. They didn't have to worry for long when Natsu appeared behind them and kicked them to the ground.

"How? We couldn't smell you." Natsu simply shrugged his shoulders.

"A little secret of mine." He then got into a battle stance, one that was slightly different than his usual. His usual battle stance has him crouched down with both arms at the ready on his sides. This battle stance has one arm extended, the other kept close to his chest and him shifting his weight from one foot to another through jumping. (Bruce Lee's stance vs Chuck Norris)

"_**Holy Ray!" **_A ball of light formed in Sting's hands before expanding and releasing multiple tendrils of light magic towards Natsu.

"_**Eclipse of the Shadow Dragon!" **_Three balls of shadow appeared on Rogue' body, one on his mouth and one each on his hands. They each released a beam of shadow magic before converging to produce a much larger beam of shadow magic. The dragon slayers seemed to have adopted long range contact in order for Natsu to not land any hits on them.

That was put to the test when Natsu began to close the distance on them while nimbly dodging all of the projectiles. Panicking, the both of them unleashed their respective dragon roars, only for him to dodge it once more. They brought their arms up to attempt to mitigate the force of the blow Natsu was about to give them. He simply went around them in speeds that surpassed Erza's Flight Armour and bonked their heads together. Finding themselves in a fairly sticky situation, they resorted to hand-to-hand once again.

However, each punch and each kick was parried by Natsu and was answered back with a punch or kick of his own. There were a few times when they landed a powerful hit on his torso or face, but he only shrugged it off as if a fly landed on his face instead. They kept up this pattern of attacking, parrying, and counter-attacking until Natsu had enough. Rogue tried to land a punch, Natsu parried and before his opponent could reiterate, the pinkette swiftly punched him in the solar plexus, chest, nose and forehead before uppercutting and tornado kicking him. All of this was done in under 5 seconds.

When Rogue finally hit the ground, Natsu could hear his breathing slow down from it's erratic pattern to a slow and deep one, signifying that the shadow dragon slayer was down for the count. Sting saw this and tried to avenge his fallen comrade. He kicked Natsu in the head, only for him to grab his leg and flip him. Before Sting could get away from Natsu, he was put in a headlock by the older dragon slayer. He tried to get away, but that only made the head lock tighter. Seconds later, he succumbed to the sweet darkness of sleep.

"Glad that was over." Natsu said to himself, surprisingly he wasn't winded. He then was tackled to the ground by an ecstatic guild.

"Told you guys he could do it."

"Pay up, I said under 15 minutes."

"No way, it was earlier than that."

"Natsu-sama is the best."

"Tch, I could do better." Were the various things Natsu heard while he was being smothered by his mate. Though one noise made his ears twitch, it was the sound of someone crying.

"Get off of me for a moment." his voice wasn't necessarily loud, but it was enough to make everyone get off of him. He stood up and made his way to the source of the sounds of sadness. When he smelled the tears were the strongest, he knelt down and said, "Lector?". The sniffing stopped for a moment before a small fist hit him repeatedly in the chest.

"Y-y-you cheated. You must have. Sting is the greatest dragon slayer ever. He wouldn't lose to anyone." Lector said while punching Natsu in between syllables.

"F-F-Fr-Fro t-thinks so too." Natsu felt a little guilty for making their best friends lose. He was about to say something, but someone beat him to it.

"He won fair and square Lector." Sting's weak voice was heard from behind the exceed. "I'm just weak compared to him." The exceed stopped punching Natsu and ran towards his best buddy.

"Sting is right, Frosch. Natsu is powerful compared to us." Frosch ran towards his best buddy and began to bawl.

"There it is!" Natsu exclaimed scaring the four of them while earning confused looks from his guildmates. "There is the true strength that you have been shunning all these years."

"What are you talking about?" Everyone, fairly eerily, asked at the exact same time -save Makarov, who was wise enough to know what Natsu was referring to.

"Humility. To be powerful doesn't necessarily mean to be undefeated. Sometimes, being powerful is knowing when you have been outmatched and openly admitting it. That humility earns you respect from your opponent, as well as providing you with some drive to improve in the future. I shall make you an offer. When we meet the next time, if you are able to force me to use magic, then you have gotten stronger. Strong enough to go toe to toe with my own two students. Until then, train your hearts out." He kept quiet for a minute or two to let them process the words he had just uttered. As he let them think it through, Natsu asked Freed to lift the blinding spell so he could see once again. The moment Natsu opened his eyes, he was met with a terrifically devastated field with dozens of uprooted trees at the edges. He couldn't help but laugh at the damage they have done.

"Natsu," The aforementioned mage shook his head to break out of his stupor to face the owner of the voice, which was Sting. "Thank you for the opportunity to spar with you."

"Not at all, I wanted a good fight as well. Leaving already?" Sting nodded. "Alright, see you next time. Train hard." The two then walked away with their exceeds in tow.

"Alright brats!" Makarov enlarged so that he could look down upon everyone. Silly senile old man. "After contemplating whether or not we will join next years' GMG, I have reached a conclusion. Drum roll, please." Natsu played a snare drum that he *_ahem_* "borrowed" from the author.

"**YES!**" Half of the crowd cheered while the other half smiled sadistically. "This time we shall be entering two teams because why not. It doesn't saying anything against it in the rules. Team A will be: Team Natsu's members - Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster, Hansuke Terranos, Wendy Marvel and Lucy Heartphilia."

"Natsu, why do people always forget that I'm a member of the team as well?" Happy nudged Natsu with a half-eaten fish.

"I don't know Happy." Natsu shrugged his shoulders, "I'm sure that they don't do it on purpose."

"Team B will be: Laxus Dreyar, Mirajane Strauss, Juvia Lockser, Gajeel Redfox, and Maria Terranos. And to spice things up a bit, the team with the higher amount of points will have the privilege of making the other team do whatever they want for 24 hours." The sound of crickets chirping could be heard from the intense silence that followed his last statement.

"**HEY!**" Lucy yelled out loud, catching the attention of everyone else. "How come they have 4 S-class mages, really strong ones as well, while we have only 3?!"

"Are you implying that the S-classes in your team are weak, Lucy?" Makarov innocently asked, ignoring the menacing aura's that the S-classes of Team A were giving off while they glared at Lucy's back.

"N-n-no.. It's just that they have a number advantage, you know." Lucy chuckled nervously, her spine tingled to tell her that her answer saved her life.

"I knew that Lucy, but your team has a better chemistry with each other compared to Team B. Thus, when there's a team battle, you five will have an advantage." Lucy gave a weak 'Oh' before nodding.

"I also have something to say." Everyone's attention now belonged to Natsu, "All dragon slayers are to come with me to the Dragon Realm to train for the year, including the ones not participating in GMG. While we are there, I will be sending two professionals to improve on everyone else's hand-to-hand combat" The dragon slayers nodded in approval, along with the others. Except for the shaking siblings.

"U-u-uh, Natsu-sama." Maria nervously piped in. "I-I-Is there a chance that Hansuke and I could train with the hand-to-hand people instead?"

"Nonsense, you two still need some improving to do, if my mission report from Makarov is correct." The both of them paled a little bit. "So, you're staying with me." Natsu then walked away to retrieve his clothing, which happened to be on the other side of the clearing.

"Why are you two sweating like pigs and stuttering like lovesick teenagers?" Laxus asked, curiosity written all over his face. The other dragon slayers wanted to know the answer as well.

"Natsu-sama isn't that much of a gentle trainer and that's putting it nicely. No matter what we say, you cannot be mentally prepared for what's coming to you. You have experience it to be able to endure it." Hansuke answered for his still horror-stricken sister. Natsu then returned minutes later, fully clothed with a smile on his face.

"Let's go!" He opened a portal and the dragon slayers entered. Hansuk and Maria were about to high-tail out of there, if it wasn't for Natsu grabbing them by the collars and pulling them into the portal. "The pros should be here in three days. Until then, increase your magic reserves." Then the portal closed.

"You heard the man. Let's get training!" Gray enthusiastically spoke and everyone oorahed in agreement.

* * *

_IN THE DRAGON REALM_

"Why were you two so paranoid back there? This place isn't so bad." Erza said, trying to calm them down. They currently were in a building situated at the base of an enormous mountain.

"Find a happy place. Find a happy place….." The both of them were reciting the same mantra over and over again, creeping out some of the present dragon slayers.

"Whatever, I hope that Salamander gets here quick. I'm dying for some training." Everyone ignored him and began to explore the building, leaving behind Gajeel and the Terannos siblings.

"Oh? You want some training already." They turned around and were met with a pretty new Natsu. He was wearing a short sleeved tan dress shirt, tucked in underneath some brown pants with some crisp creases going down the centre of the front and back of each leg. His feet were encased in shiny, and I mean shiny to the point that you go blind, parade boots. His hair was in a small ponytail and on his head was a brown campaign hat. The image the author wanted to portray: USMC Drill Sergeant.

"Yeah." Gajeel curtly replied as he sat down on a nearby bunk.

"Good." Natsu lowered his head with a smile, but that smile quickly disappeared and was replaced by a look of seriousness. "**WELL YOU CAN START BY GETTING YOUR BUTT OF THAT BUNK!"** Gajeel quickly jumped off, he hated to admit it, but the volume and power behind Natsu's voice scared him at that moment. At the same time, Hansuk and Maria quickly stood on their feet with their back straight,eyes forward, arms tight to the side and showed no emotion.

"**TERRANOS H.!"** The orangette quickly ran towards Natsu and stood there at the same form he began with. "**WHERE THE (BLEEP) ARE THE OTHERS?!"**

"**SIR, THEY WENT AROUND EXPLORING THE PLACE, SIR!**" Hansuke replied in the same volume.

"**YOU AND YOUR SISTER BETTER START COLLECTING THOSE (BLEEPS) OR SO HELP ME, I WILL MAKE YOU SCOOP DRAGON DROPPINGS FOR THE REST OF YOUR TRAINING! AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"**

"**SIR, YES, SIR!**" Hansuke then ran towards his sister and relayed Natsu's orders. They both turned around and started to find the others before they were punished. Gajeel just stood there shell-shocked, unable to formulate any thoughts in his mind besides:

'_What have I gotten myself into?'_

* * *

**_A/N_: AAAAAAnd another 10k chapter for all of my lovely peeps. GMG arc is up next, so prepare yourselves for fight scenes galore.**

**Question: Should I write another fic and split my time between the two, or should I just focus on this one?**

**Aye for the Former and Nay for the latter...**


	13. Training Year

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA. I ALSO DON'T OWN ANY LEAGUE OF LEGENDS CHARACTERS AND ABILITIES, RIOT GAMES DO.**

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

For the next three days, the wizards left in Earthland trained in order to increase their magical container's yield. This was done through the extensive and rapid use of spells to drain their magic to the point of drying up. On the third day, they took a small break in order to greet the 'professionals' that were supposed to come to the guild that day. However, as the day went on, everyone got anxious on whether or not those two professionals would even arrive.

"1 hour," A cranky Gray muttered. "If they don't show up in one hour, I'm going to go back to training."

"Gray-sama, Natsu told us that they'd arrive today and Natsu's never lied to us before. If they don't arrive today, then there must've been some problems with transportation." Juvia tried to reason with her boyfriend. Ever since they've began training, Gray has been the one who trained the hardest. Becoming equals to Natsu was his main goal and ceasing for a day has put him in a very bad mood.

"Humph. If there's a problem with transportation, then Natsu has a split personality complex which turns him into a hardcore trainer."

* * *

_MEANWHILE IN THE DRAGON REALM_

"**20 MINUTE MARK! YOU LITTLE (BLEEP) BETTER NOT START (BLEEP) THROWING UP OR I WILL (BLEEP) FORCE FEED YOU YOUR OWN (BLEEP) VOMIT! AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"** Natsu hollered at the dragon slayers while clutching a stop watch. If you have guessed, he is training the majority of them out of their motion sickness, save for Wendy, Hansuke and Maria.

"**SIR, YES, SIR**" They yelled back to the best of their abilities. Their training consisted of them standing at attention on a raft while waves moved it up and down the water. All of them were trying their best not to throw up as the memory of what Natsu made them do when they first failed this test haunted their every waking hour. By the way, the water's temperature somehow exceeded its boiling point.

"**MARVEL! I CAN'T (BLEEP) HEAR YOU!" **Natsu turned around to see Wendy doing push-ups with a metal weight that read '250 kg' strapped to her back.

"**297! 298! 299! 300!...**" The strain in her voice was very evident, but Natsu ignored it. Instead he yelled at her even more.

"**ARE YOU GETTING TIRED MARVEL!? UN-(BLEEP)-BELIEVABLE, YOU'RE A (BLEEP) DRAGON SLAYER! IF YOU CAN'T GET TO 500, THEN WHAT ARE YOU?**" Wendy's eyes slightly teared, but she shook the tears away. She knew that Natsu was acting like this because it was necessary for her to get stronger. And stronger, she shall be. Meanwhile, the others had a face of indifference, though in the inside they were completely shocked at how Natsu was treating Wendy. He was just so harsh to the youngest member of the dragon slayer family in this realm, it's hard to believe that this was the same Natsu. Then they spied the ash coated figures of the Terranos siblings running towards Natsu at the corner of their vision.

"**SIR, WE'RE DONE OUR 25 LAPS AROUND THE VOLCANO, SIR!**" The drill sergeant look at them with indifference, plotting on what they are to do next.

"Very good," His voice lowered to a non-deafening volume, but it still had a lot of authority behind it. "**NOW START DRAINING YOUR (BLEEP) MAGIC CONTAINERS TO THE POINT THAT EVEN A (BLEEP) DEAD MAN HAS EVEN MORE THAN YOU!**"

"**SIR, YES, SIR!**" The two of them went to a clearing and began to unleash a barrage of magical spells at an innocent mountain in the distance. To give you guys some context about this, Natsu is currently training everyone to get rid of their respective weaknesses. For most of them, it's their motion sickness. For Wendy, it's her strength and durability. For the Terranos siblings, it's their magical endurance and durability as well since during their mission together, which a 'Hunt for a fugitive" mission, they ran out of magic way too quickly while trying to subdue the fugitive they were hunting down. A few minutes passed by when suddenly:

_*thump*_

"**WENDY!**" Natsu faced the source of the voice, which was Erza running towards the collapsed sky dragon slayer. Wendy's arms apparently gave up on her as she neared the 400 pushups mark. Everyone ran towards her, including Natsu, to take off the weight on her back. They were surprised, or proud in Natsu's case, when Wendy put her hand up to stop everyone. She turned her head to their direction and they could clearly see the determination of completing her goal to the very end. Then, she began to do her pushups once more, as if she never collapsed on the first place. Everyone went back to their 'training' to continue off of where they left off. Natsu remained in place as he watched the youngest of the dragon slayers prove that she is not a weak child as she was before.

"Keep it up, Marvel. You're doing great." Natsu's voice was soft and gentle for the first time in the 37 days they were in the Dragon Realm for training. Wendy smiled as she increased the pace of her pushups.

* * *

_BACK TO THE GRUMPY GRAY_

"15 minutes….." Gray lowly growled while unconsciously releasing some of his magic. Juvia was trying to calm him down while the rest present began to bundle up even though it was a pretty warm day. To his happiness, two cloaked individuals walked into the guild building. One was shorter than the other and the taller one had a pretty impressive magical pressure radiating off of him.

"Sorry we're late, there was an unforeseen delay in the train station due to a lady being struck with a heart attack." The shorter of the two apologized while bowing his head.

"So this is Fairy Tail.." The taller one mused to himself, ignoring the curious looks of the guild members. "I was expecting more people."

"Some of the others, specifically our dragon slayers, went training with Natsu." Makarov said while walking up to the strangers, "I am assuming that he sent the both of you to train us in hand-to-hand."

"Indeed. You are Makarov Dreyar, yes?" The shorter man asked and Makarov nodded in reply. They pulled off their hoods to reveal their identities. The shorter man had a bald head, albeit a long ponytail at the crown of his head; a goatee without a mustache (facial hair on upper lip) and a red blindfold with a symbol at the centre. The taller man had spiky brown, yet tamed, hair; a trimmed full beard that extended a bit past his jawline and glowing blue eyes - literally, including the pupil and sclera were glowing a low but bright blue.

"My name is Lee Sin and my friend here is Udyr, we hail from Runeterra. I will be training everyone advanced hand-to-hand combat, but Elfman Strauss is to be training with Udyr instead." The man with the blindfold gestured to himself then to the taller man.

"Why is that?" Mira asked him. Even though she's a bit jealous that Elfman gets some special training, her 'older sister' instincts kicked in to ensure that she completely knows the reason of his isolation from the others.

"I was informed by Natsu that your family is consisted of proficient users of Take Over Magic." The Strauss siblings nodded their heads. "I have a type of magic similar to that and it might be enough for me to teach your brother how to use your magic to its fullest potential."

"Why Elfman only? Why not Mira-nee or myself as well?" Lisanna asked.

"Out of the three of you, Elfman's Take Overs are almost identical with my own magics. Mirajane's Take Overs vary in strength while Lisanna's combat expertise is sub par. Elfman's various Take Overs enhance certain abilities and components of his body and his fighting style may adapt beautifully with my own." Udyr explained.

"How so?" Elfman asked, eager to discover what this 'professional's' magic is. The man animalistically smiled at him.

"Want me to show you in a little spar?" Elfman grinned like an idiot and flexed his arms while exclaiming:

"Sparring is manly." The Runeterrans were a little confused at his choice of words, but shrugged it off as they remembered that Natsu warned them of Fairy Tail's…..unique…. personalities. Everyone went outside and prepared for the spar. Udyr took off his cloak while he walked opposite of Elfman's direction. As they walked apart from each other, Freed placed runes around the battle area to prevent property damage.

He was clad in a pair of dark brown pants underneath a white skirt (?) with gold, teal and green embroidery of various symbols, trimmings and a slit at the centre. The skirt (?) was fasted by a brown belt with a gold circular belt buckle with a teal crystal rhombus at the centre. He wore a pair of 'getas' on his feet, which were the Japanese wooden sandals that Elfman also wore. His chest was bare, revealing a very muscular build, although there was a bandolier of large beads which wrapped around his body from his right shoulder to his left hip. His wrists, forearms, palms and knuckles were wrapped in bandages and on each forearm was a red arm guard that only protected the outer forearm.

"Begin." Makarov abruptly exclaimed, momentarily surprising the two competitors. However, their combat experience made them recover quickly and they began to jump towards each other.

"_**Take Over: Beast Soul**_!" Elfman transformed into his beast soul and began to throw powerful punches at Udyr. The Ionian showcased his martial expertise by flawlessly parrying the powerful punches. Though he would be lying if he said the punches felt like a breeze. Elfman threw a right hook at him, and he jumped away to dodge it. Udyr wasn't expecting the large beast in front of him to spin and elbow him in the face. The brunette went flying and thankfully, in Makarov's case, he hit a rune barrier instead of a building.

"Hahahahaha." Udyr boisterously guffawed as he stood back up on his feet. "You pack quite a punch my friend, let's see how you fare against my own punches." He launched himself again towards Elfman. A right hook, left jab, uppercut, roundhouse kick, knee to the abdomen, and a jump kick to the chest were dealt to Elfman. The large take over mage shrugged off his hits as if they were nothing. But then….

"_**Bear Stance!**_" His entire upper body began to change to a light blue tint. His hair also took a metallic blue colour and got longer and spikier. The glow on his eyes intensified to a more vibrant blue. Dark blue tattoos appeared on his upper arm, in the form of stripes; underneath his eyes, which started from the bottom of the eyes and ended at his beard; and on his chest, in the form of a swirl. Blue energy engulfed his entire hand and forearm and solidified to large, sharp clawed hands. Elfman was taken back in his opponent's change of look and before he could do anything, a bone crushing punch hit him square on the face.

"**YOOOOOOUUUUUU'REEEEEEE MAAAAAAAAAAAAAANLYYYYY!**" Was what could be heard from Elfman as he was flying across the sparring area. Out of the corner of his eye, Makarov saw Evergreen flinch and take a step towards Elfman before shaking her head and going back to her original position. Elfman jumped up with a massive grin akin to Natsu. Udyr returned the grin and they began to throw blows to each other.

Udyr threw a right hook, only to be caught by Elfman's hand. The take over mage attempted to slam him into the ground, but as he raised Udyr, the man righted himself mid-air; thus landing on his feet. The bear-man was in a prime position to flip Elfman over judo style, and flip Elfman he did. The giant crossed his arms to block a punch from Udyr and before the Runeterran could punch again, Elfman 'clotheslined' his legs, causing his opponent to fall over. Immediately after the bear-man stood up, Elfman threw a right uppercut to Udyr. The brunette (now currently bluenette) positioned his arms to block the blow. His eyes widened when the beast pulled back the uppercut and socked him in the jaw with a left hook. He spat out a bit of saliva and before he knew it, Elfman kneed him in the stomach.

"_**Turtle Stance!**_" Udyr reverted back to normal for a second so that he can jump back. Then, from his arms to his neck, he turned green with darker coloured scales on his shoulders and the back of his neck. His hair turned into a mohawk while his beard remained the same albeit small changes. His forehead also gained some scales. His eyes lost their blue glow, instead they were glowing in a green colour. Green energy engulfed his hands and created scaled hands that were roughly three times larger than his regular hands. Dark green spikes protruded from the bottom of his elbow to his wrist. They threw a right jab towards each other, only for their fists to collide with their opponent's.

"**RAAAGH!**" Elfman clutched his hand and began to roll back and forth on the ground in an attempt to mitigate the pain. Everyone watching, save for Lee Sin - he couldn't watch it because he's blind, he can only 'leesin' to the fight - sweatdropped at Elfman's "unmanliness". Udyr on the other hand just watched him with a very confused look on his face before examining his right hand. By the time he was finished investigating his very interesting right hand, he was tackled by Elfman, who was still in his _**Beast Soul**_.

They landed on the ground and Elfman quickly straddled him. Before any blows were dealt, Udyr quickly brought his arms up to block any future blows towards him. The man was fortunate that his instincts kicked in because if they didn't his head would've been an unrecognizable pulp from the powerful punches that Elfman unleashed to him. 58 consecutive punches and a failed headbutt later, Udyr pushed off the giant of a man before rolling away.

"_**Tiger Stance!**_" Once again he reverted to normal in order to transform into his third stance. His arms and back became darker with brown tiger stripes on each arm. His hair pointed upwards and his side burns grew longer, adapting a tiger-like look. His forehead turned orange and stripes followed his cheekbones. Yellow irises replaced his glowing blue eyes. Yellow energy coated his arms and then solidified to form long claws and spikes extending from his wrist to his upper elbow.

He disappeared and then reappeared behind Elfman, claws poised to strike. The giant man felt stinging pain on his back as Udyr began to claw relentlessly at his opponent at inhuman speeds. Ignoring the pain for a moment, Elfman spun and tried to kick Udyr away. The mage simply jumped back, and then dashed forward to give Elfman a good scratch to the face. The male member of the Strauss family recoiled in pain as he clutched his face tightly, leaving his torso wide open for more ferocious swipes. Everyone watched as Udyr began to swipe mercilessly at Elfman's exposed torso. Before he could get scratched anymore, Elfman backhanded Udyr away.

"_**Beast Soul: Lizardman!**_" Elfman's body shone and changed its shape. When the light disappeared, Elfman revealed one of his new Take Overs. He was now covered in green scales, with some larger ones protruding from his arms in two lines with only his palms and the front of his torso bare. His fingers gain sharp claws, as well as his toes which have become more massive, stocky and have changed in placement. His hair is replaced with a long, messy and spiky white mane that reached the middle of his back. His head became more stubby, lost a visible nose, and gained a large, protruding plate corresponding to his head topping his eyes. He crossed his arms just in time as Udyr resumed to claw him. Udyr's eyes widened as soon as he noticed that cracks began to appear on his claws before smirking at his opponent.

"Very smart, my friend.. _**Phoenix Stance**_!" Udyr's hair got longer and is settled down. His arms, from elbow downwards, began to glow orange and red as if they were heated metal and his fingers elongated into white claws. Bird wings made out of purplish red energy materialized on his arms from the elbow downwards as well. Purplish red feathers formed on his neck and shoulders. His forehead took a reddish hue and his eyes glowed red. "I wonder if you can handle the heat."

Udyr threw a punch at Elfman, but he missed. Or so the spectators thought, because from the feathers, a wave of fire appeared. Elfman took a step back due to the power behind that one wave of fire. Udyr smirked and began to barrage Elfman with flames. Meanwhile, Elfman was formulating a plan on how to deal with his opponent. The animal-mage slammed his fists to the ground and a dome of fire erupted from his location, causing Elfman to be blown away.

"_**Beast Soul: Weretiger**_!" Elfman immediately changed forms the moment he stood back up. His muscular physique gains yellow fur and dark spots, making him look like a leopard. His hair becomes similar to that of a lion's mane. His head receives a dark feline nose, large fauces lined with sharp teeth; thick, light fur on his lower face; and elongated, pointy ears. He gains claws on his hands and his toes. To top it all off, he receives a mildly long, spotted feline tail ending with tuft spots from his lower back.

As soon as his transformation ended, Udyr was upon him. He quickly dashed at speeds not possible for a man of his bulk away in order to dodge the waves of fire. Udyr turned around just in time for him to be socked in the face by Elfman. Before he could fly away because of the force of the blow, Elfman grabbed Udyr's leg and flung him to the ground. The impact made Udyr bounce slightly into the air, making it easier for Elfman to kick him away. Udyr hit a rune barrier and he ended up in a sitting position with his head slumped forward.

"That was a very manly fight." Elfman said as he undid his transformation and walked away.

"Oh, this fight isn't over." Udyr softly retorted as he got back up. "I still have enough energy and strength to knock you out." Elfman grunted before transforming into his Beast Soul.

"_**Bear Stance!**_" He jumped towards Elfman and threw a punch at the large man. Elfman parried it and threw a counter punch. Udyr jumped away then muttered, "_**Tiger Spirit.**_" A yellowish orange aura surrounded Udyr and it caused him to move as if he was in his _**Tiger Stance**_, but half as fast. When he was behind Elfman, he swept his legs from underneath to trip him. As Elfman was falling, Udyr axe kicked him into the ground. An Elfman sized indent was created shortly after.

"_**Phoenix Stance!**_" He reverted to his other form, but the yellowish orange aura remained. Udyr punched Elfman repeatedly in the face, with the waves of fire increasing the damage dealt to him. At that moment, Udyr's rational mind was overpowered by his animalistic instincts to beat the hell out of Elfman to prove his dominance. As he kept raining blows on the male Strauss sibling, he failed to notice that Elfman was fighting unconsciousness. Just as his fist was cocked for the final blow, he was pushed off by a very livid Lee Sin. However, he didn't know it was his friend. Instead he just saw him as a nuisance depriving him of a victory; therefore he growled at him.

"**UDYR!** Control yourself, you could have killed him." Lee Sin exclaimed, hoping to bring him out of his violent stupor. Thankfully, he did and when he saw Elfman's condition, he was ashamed of himself. Before anything else could happen, Mira and Lisanna were at Elfman's side, helping him up.

"Elfman, are you ok? Where does it hurt the most? Do you need any medical attention?" The both of them asked in rapid fire simultaneously. Elfman simply laughed at them and told them that he was fine.

"No, you are not 'fine'!" Mira scolded her younger brother. "He nearly beat you to death and you have the balls to laugh it off and say you're fine?! Hell, he's lucky that Natsu personally sent him because if he wasn't, I would've already sent his heavily mutilated body back to Runeterra." Udyr audibly gulped as the she-demon's threat and it wasn't helping that she spoke with a dark aura surrounding her. Unfortunately for him, she heard his gulp.

"You, on the other hand…" She slowly walked towards him, the dark aura increasing in strength, "**WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO BEAT MY BROTHER TO THAT EXTENT!? I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE IMPORTANT IN RUNETERRA, **but if you hurt my brother again…" She glared at him and walked away, leaving him to imagine the possible consequences of hurting Elfman.

"I'm sorry." He knelt down and bowed to her, surprising everyone except for Lee Sin. "It was foolish of me to lose control, and from now on, I swear that no harm will come to your brother." Mira remained quiet with a blank look on her face, before her look softened and she nodded as a sign of that she forgives him. After that little argument, Elfman was sent to the infirmary while the rest of Fairy Tail returned to the guild hall to wait for their guests to finish devouring Mira's food.

"Lee Sin, if I may ask... How do you know Natsu Dragneel?" Makarov asked the blind martial artist. The aforementioned individual swallowed a chunk of beef he was chewing on before answering.

"I met Dragneel over a year ago. He was travelling Runeterra, hopelessly lost, when he stumbled upon an temple that I resided in. Monks came to tend him, for he was exhausted as well as dehydrated. After a few days of rest, he had enough energy to answer a few questions of mine. Soon after, I discovered his identity as well as his intentions for coming to Runeterra. The man wanted two things from us, a place of peace to help him fight the temptations from an evil within him and to improve on his hand-to-hand combat. He stayed there for a year and a half. During his stay, he learned about the various laws, regulations, customs and traditions of the cities of Runeterra, mastered my brand of martial arts to an impressive degree, made many alliances and friendships, and has found his inner peace." Lee Sin finished his story of Natsu and turned around, to let everyone digest the information while finishing his meal.

'_An evil within him? What dark secret is Natsu hiding from us?_' Makarov internally questioned himself. The very thought of one of his children carrying a dark secret from everyone worried him, but the fact that Natsu was afraid to confront his issue with his nakama scared him much more. Why? It was the same word that revolved around his head as he tried to find a logical reason behind Natsu's decision. He was so focused on finding the solution to his problem that he didn't hear Mira calling his name, or Lucy and Gray arguing with Lee Sin.

"**MASTER!**" Mira and Lisanna's screams tore him from his thoughts and he finally noticed the argument between his children and his guests.

"Why the hell do we even have to improve our hand-to-hand? I mean I'm perfectly fine with the state of my hand-to-hand proficiency." Gray stated. He was uncomfortable with being taught by foreigners, whether or not his rival trusts them.

"Exactly, and some of us are long-range mages. So, as long as we keep our distance, there is no need for us to practice hand-to-hand." Lucy supported Gray's argument. She too was uncomfortable with a stranger teaching her. She would rather have Natsu, Erza or Mira teach her.

"Heh. I commend you for your confidence with your martial arts proficiency, Gray Fullbuster." Lee Sin smirked as he motioned to his face. "Hit me once on the face, and then I will exempt you from hand-to-hand training." Not letting this opportunity go to waste, Gray lunged at the stationary monk. He threw a quick jab at the blind man, completely disregarding caution. To his surprise, Lee Sin leaned out of the way. The blind monk grabbed the extended hand, then swept Gray's legs to trip him. As Gray was momentarily airborne, Lee Sin slammed his palm on Gray's chest, which caused the Ice Make mage to hit the ground hard and for his breath to get knocked out of him.

"And Ms. Heartphilia," Lucy's breath hitched at the mention of her name. "Even long-range mages require a back-up plan in case of situations where they have to get up close and personal." He reached inside of his cloak and pulled out Lucy's bag of keys. Lucy's eyes widened and her hands darted to her hip where her key satchel is usually located. Her vision turned red as she let out a scream while dashing towards the man who took her friends. Suddenly, her stomach erupted in pain. She doubled over and saw Lee Sin crouching down with her key satchel in his hand.

"Now you see the importance of hand-to-hand training, Lucy." He handed back her keys. She immediately pulled the satchel close the her chest as if she was protecting them from the world. Then Udyr helped her get back on her feet. "Since we've just arrived here, training is postponed until tomorrow for we need to rest after our long journey."

The crowd dispersed as they returned to their magical endurance training. Makarov remained in the guild hall to watch over their guests. '_They're good, no wonder why Natsu sent for them. Though the question remains, what is Natsu hiding from us?_' The day went on as normal, with Fairy Tail returning to their homes completely exhausted at about midnight. Lee Sin and Udyr slept in the guild's infirmary and they were to sleep there for the entire duration of their stay. However, many guild members had trouble sleeping due to anxiety about training with foreigners.

* * *

_TIME SKIP 1 EARTHLAND MONTH_

"Hit." Gray calmly said as he won another spar. This time, his opponent was his Max Alors. He helped Max up before walking away, a bit irritated at his opponent's performance. He was about go to Mount Hakobe for his magical endurance training since he was finished his hand-to-hand for the day. However, he was stopped by Lee Sin.

"What do you want?" The irritation was evident in his voice.

"Come with me." No other words were heard from the monk as he walked towards Mira's location. She had just finished her spar with Cana, and unsurprisingly, she won. He also spoke the same words to Mirajane before directing them to a secluded area in their training grounds. "I have noticed that the both of you are quite irritated at the pace I am teaching you in hand-to-hand." They were about to decline when he raised his hand to shut them up.

"I have also noticed that the both of you are advancing the quickest out of everyone here. In fact, you're improving at a rate that slightly surpasses Natsu's rate of improvement when he was under my guidance." They were shocked at his claim, but why did he have to bring them here in the first place. He must have something important to say.

"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is yes. I do have something important to say to the both of you." They unconsciously leaned forwards as if he was about to tell them the deepest, darkest secrets of the universe. "From now on, you are exempted from training with the others."

Gray and Mira jumped in joy. They were about to run to their friends and brag about their exemption. However, Lee Sin had different ideas. "The both of you are to be training with _both_ Udyr and I at a different time from the others since the both of you have great potential, but it can only be achieved through rigorous training. Monk Style." They visibly paled and their jaws dropped to the ground. How can fate be so cruel. The regular training was bad enough, from getting hit by Lee Sin full force during sparring sessions with him to pain resistance training via holding an increasingly heating metal rod. Yup, they're screwed. Though it's not as bad as what the Dragon Slayers are going through.

* * *

_IN THE DRAGONREALM_

"Alright, you have finally survived your 6 months of hell with me." Natsu announced to the seated dragon slayers

'_Thank god, it's all over_.' They all thought in unison. The past six months were insane, almost identical to hell. The ones assigned to get rid of their motion sickness had to ride a roller coaster (I have no idea how they built one) once every two weeks. Wendy had to recreate Sisyphus' punishment, which was to eternally roll a humongous boulder up a hill because when it reaches the summit, it tumbles back down to the base for the 'victim' to roll back up. However, Wendy's version of the Sisyphus punishment was to use her Sky Dragon Slayer magic to bring a boulder to the top of the mountain instead of rolling it. Hansuke worked in a diamond factory, where he had to continuously unleash a Hell Dragon King's Roar at a pressurized chunk of coal for a few hours. Maria also had to do the same thing as Hansuke for 6 months. And what's worse, on any other day, they had to go through Natsu's Drill Sergeant persona while running 8 miles with packs on their backs or take part in advanced hand-to-hand training.

"However, your training isn't over." Natsu calmly said with a evil smirk on his face….

'_OH GOD, NO! OH PLEASE GOD, NO! NO! NOOOOOOO!_' Was the same thought that went over everyone's head. (Play the Steve Carrell 'No' sound file/video).

***ROOOOOOAR***

Everyone looked at the source of the sound and they saw 6 dragons flying towards them. They immediately recognized the red dragon known as Igneel. However, the identity of the other 5 dragons following the Dragon King is unknown to Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers. They landed right behind Natsu and he immediately knelt before Igneel.

"**Natsu, how many times do I have to remind you? You don't have to kneel before me every time you see me." **Igneel said while shaking his head. Natsu chuckled at his foster father.

"And I tell you every time that I have to follow the customs of every race as it is a part of my 'job'."

"**Fine. So, did you bring it?**" Natsu reached into his trench coat and threw a metallic flash at his father. The red dragon caught the miniscule object with amazing dexterity.

"What did you expect from me, Igneel?" The dragons and the dragon slayers watched the short conversation between father and son in silence before one of the dragons cleared its throat to gain their attention. Said dragon had brilliant golden yellow scales with dark blue spikes. If you look carefully, forks of electricity jump from the dragon's body to its spikes.

"**Igneel, the others as well as I would appreciate if your son could get on with it.**" The golden dragon spoke as calmly as it could, but its impatience was very evident.

"I apologize, Taranis. You can't blame me for having little moments with my father." Natsu apologized.

"**You are forgiven, Dragneel. Also, do you have anymore of those drinks? My second in command wishes to have some more. He ran out last night..**" The other dragons also joined in, wishing for some more Draconic Moonshine. All of them had a mischievous glint in that suggested otherwise.

"What? I gave each of you a barrel full of that stuff last week!" The dragon slayers' eyes bulged at the newfound information about alcoholic dragon kings. Then the dragons argued with Natsu that they were sharing the barrels with their friends, causing shortages of that delicious alcoholic beverages.

"**Enough."** Igneel's calm voice silenced anymore conversations as he gained their absolute attention. "**I'm certain that my son will give you your barrels when he has the time to make some more. Besides that, Natsu, you were about to give your friends some news regarding their training.**"

"Right…. All of you are to be initiating the second stage of your training. Laxus, you are to be training with Taranis, the King Lightning Dragons. You are to become a third-generation dragon slayer by the end of your training." Taranis gave Laxus somewhat of a lopsided dragon smirk. The blonde dragon slayer was shivering slightly, not mentally prepared to go through dragon training after experiencing Natsu's training.

"Gajeel, you are assigned to Cirevan, a member of the Dragon Guard and the Adamantine Dragon King." A dragon with white circular swirl scales, a gray underbelly and a heavily armoured head stepped forward. The gargantuan beast bowed its head before stepping back.

"Yo, Salamander.. What the hell is the 'Dragon Guard'?"

"A Dragon Guard is an organization consisted of hand-picked dragons assigned with the task of protecting the Dragon King from any and all dangers." Natsu calmly explained, ignoring Cirevan's quiet insult of Gajeel's lack of intelligence.

'_I'm gonna kill that dragon when I get the chance._' Gajeel thought to himself. He too, heard Cirevan's insult.

'_Gajeel-kun, remove that thought from your head. I wanna rip him apart too for insulting my mate, but he's a friend of Natsu's._' Levy threw him a sideways glare, causing Gajeel to sigh in defeat.

'_Fine._'

"Levy, Vonelga - the Earth Dragon King - is to be your mentor for the duration of your training." Natsu gestured to a dragon with a blocky head, dark brown scales, light brown underbelly, and vibrant green vegetation on its back….. Kinda reminds you of the lion turtle from Avatar.

.

"Of course, Natsu"

"Wendy, your healing abilities will be improved upon through the teachings of Ao Guang, the Water Dragon King." A blue scaled dragon with a serpentine head and a white mane walked towards Wendy and lowered it's head to meet the Sky Dragon Slayer eye-to-eye.

"**I am looking forward to teaching you, daughter of Grandeneey.**" The massive beast's deep voice shook the ground, yet calmed the youngest of the dragon slayers.

"And I am looking forward to learning new things from you, Water Dragon King." Wendy replied with a smile on her face. Ao Guang smirked before walking back to his dragon friends.

"Maria, Divorn personally requested you to train with her." A dragon covered in dark blue and purple crystalline scales and spikes stared at the young redhead before nodding.

"All right." She accepted the request, with a bit of a waver in her voice.

"Hansuke, an old friend of ours wants to train you again. I'll give you one guess." Hansuke narrowed his eyes in thought. Who else wanted to train him? He is pretty proficient in Hell Dragon King Slayer magic, and his hand-to-hand is excellent according to Natsu. What else is there to train him in?

"Olaf?" He took a wild guess, and judging from the slight widening of Natsu's smirk, he was correct.

"Correct. He wants to teach you Berserker's Rage for the remainder of your training." Hansuke merely nodded at his response, though Natsu noticed that his hands were shaking. '_Really? Olaf isn't that bad, he's just….unpredictable at times._'

"**Oi, brat. What about me?**"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Natsu asked, feigning ignorance.

"**You brought me here for a reason, right?**" Igneel asked incredulously.

"Yeah, to bring you the flask."

"**Besides that, you imbecile!" **Igneel was now losing his patience.

"Jeez, chill dad," Natsu held his hands up. "Erza, meet my dad and your mentor for your Fire Dragon King Slayer Magic. Igneel, meet my mate and your student."

"It would be an honour to learn under your wing, King Igneel." Erza said while bowing down.

"**No need for formalities, Ms. Scarlet. Just call me Igneel.**"

"Only if you call me Erza instead of Miss Scarlet."

"**Deal.**" The red dragon had to smile at his son's mate.

"Also, after your training with Igneel, you are to come with me to Runeterra. Any more questions?" Not a thing was said. "Alright, Slayers to your assigned dragons and good luck on your training." The dragon slayers went to their mentors and rode on their backs. The dragons then took off to different directions. Meanwhile, Natsu sat down indian style with his eyes closed and began to meditate. However, he was really communicating with his superior: Agamemnon. When he opened his eyes again, he was in a large white corridor with Agamemnon at the end.

"Agamemnon?" The large armour clad angel turned around to face Natsu.

"**Natsu! How was the training with the other slayers?"**

"It went well, sir. I assume that they are still to be assessed at the end of their training."

"**Yes, Natsu. Odysseus, my second in command, will come to the Dragon Realm and assess your comrades at the end of their training.**"

"Understood, sir." The link between them severed and Natsu was brought back to reality. "What the hell am I supposed to do during the next few years here? Screw it, might as well train."

* * *

_5 DRAGON REALM YEARS LATER_

"I'm stronger than you!" A feminine voice was heard from the forest.

"Bull, I'm stronger than you!" Another feminine voice, one with an angry tone similar to the previous one, argued.

"Guys, guys… It's obvious that I'm stronger than the rest of you." A softer feminine voice spoke up.

"Nope, I am the strongest." A gruff, masculine voice cut through the conversation.

"**HELL NO!**" All the previous voices yelled at the new voice. Then, a golden dragon flew above them and a figure jumped down from said dragon.

"Damn, I could hear you guys a mile away." The newcomer calmly said.

"Shut it, Laxus." The other male barked. "You think you're so high and mighty just because you're a third-generation dragon slayer."

"The same could be said to the rest of you." Laxus growled at everyone. "Just 'cause you learned new dragon slayer magic, doesn't mean you get to stomp all over each other."

"Now, now. Play nice everyone." Another voice was heard along with clapping. They turned to the source of the voice to find Natsu with a smug grin on his face accompanied by Erza and Hansuke. Natsu took this brief moment of silence to examine everyone present.

Gajeel still looked roughly the same, save for the few extra pounds of muscle and increase in gray or white in his attire. Levy's hair grew in length and Natsu could tell that both her and Gajeel don't like the new change. Aside from the longer hair, she got at least an inch or two taller and instead of wearing the orange dress she began with, she wore a brown leather jacket over a black shirt and a black pants with brown boots. Laxus now wore a golden tunic with blue trimmings, black pants and boots. His signature headphones were nowhere to be found. Wendy barely changed, only her attire did. It was consisted of dark blue jeans, black boots, a sky blue shirt and a short denim vest that ended right underneath her breasts. Hansuke looked like a viking, probably since his teacher forced him to wear this attire for their training. He had fur boots, fur gauntlets, leather pants and a fur vest that was left open. Maria looked the same. Erza wasn't wearing her usual armour, she was wearing a black trenchcoat with red trimmings, black pants and black boots. Strapped to her back was the Dragon Blade.

"Now that we're all here, I guess that the final stage of your training is to begin." Everyone's eyes lit up in anticipation.

"Hit me with your best shot." Erza confidently spoke from behind him.

"Oh, I won't do the hitting," Then a portal appeared behind Maria, who was the furthest from Natsu. "He will." An armoured figure with tendrils of energy as wings walked out of the portal. He looked almost identical to Agamemnon, but instead of a hood covering his face, he had a silver helmet with gold engravings and a singular slit on where the eyes should be.

"**Greetings, Fiore dragon slayers. My name is Odysseus, and I will be the one in charge of the final part of your training.**"

"And what is the final part of our training?" Wendy asked.

"**Simple, beat me.**" The angel quickly lunged at the dragon slayers, sword poised to chop off their heads. Gajeel, Laxus and Levy dove to the left to dodge their attacks while Maria and Wendy dove to the right. Natsu disappeared in a column of fire leaving Erza and Hansuke behind with the others. Erza drew her sword and charged the angel.

"**Erza Scarlet,**" Odysseus turned around and parried Erza's strike seamlessly. "**the mate of the sole human who can beat me in hand-to-hand. Prove to me that you are worthy of being Natsu Dragneel's mate.**" This statement ticked Erza off, a lot.

"You have no say on whether or not I am worthy of being his mate." She said through gritted teeth. Erza swung upwards, but her sword was caught by Odysseus' free hand. Erza tried to pull it away, but the angel's grip was immensely powerful. She didn't see the gauntleted hand that hit her square on the face. As she went flying into a tree, Gajeel began his personal assault against Odysseus. He threw a powerful right hook at his opponent, but Odysseus dodged it and kicked Gajeel away.

"_**Lightning Dragon King's Roar!**_" Odysseus jumped to the right to avoid the stream of electricity that originated from Laxus' maw. As soon as the attack ended, the two were on each other's necks. Odysseus slashed upwards, causing Laxus to jump to the right; a move that Odysseus anticipated. As soon as Laxus' feet touched the ground, Odysseus kicked him. However, Laxus caught his foot but before he could even throw a punch, Odysseus slashed horizontally to force Laxus to let go.

"_**Earth Dragon King's Burrowing Strike!**_" A brown, scaled hand shot up from the ground underneath the angel and hit him square on the jaw. The owner of said hand was a pretty pissed off Levy McGarden.

"**Good, someone has finally landed a solid hit on me.**" Levy smirked, but her eyes still held unrestrained fury.

"There's more where that came from." Her right arm glowed in a green light as she cocked it back in preparation for a punch. "_**Iron Dragon's Club!**_" a pillar of iron extended from her arm and headed towards Odysseus' location. She wasn't expecting him to grab the pillar and yank her towards him. His gauntleted fist connected with her face and sent her crashing into Gajeel, who was trying to get out of the tree he was embedded in.

"_**Crystal Dragon Queen's Roar!**_" A stream of light blue jagged crystals hit the angel on the back. He turned around to face his new opponent, but was hit by another stream of light blue jagged crystals. Maria shot another _**Crystal Dragon Queen's Roar**_ at Odysseus and maintained the attack until her opponent was encased in crystal. "Phew, I think we got him." They were about celebrate if it weren't for the crystal surrounding Odysseus cracking.

"**GET DOWN!**" Hansuke's voice reached everyone's ears just in time as light began to seep through the cracks. A moment after everyone jumped to the ground, the crystal prison exploded. Smoke began to escape the crater that was created from the explosion.

"**Just a heads up to all of you, being trapped in a crystal is not entertaining.**" Odysseus' voice sounded from the smoke.

"_**Fire Dragon King's Roar!**_" The smoke cleared after a torrent of flames passed through it. To their surprise, Odysseus wasn't there. All of them frantically looked around and tried to sniff him out. That was unnecessary for Odysseus descended from above, his intended target being Wendy. Sensing a change in the current of the wind above her, she let her instincts take over and jumped away from her location.

"_**Sky Dragon's Roar!**_" Odysseus crossed his arms and blocked the attack almost effortlessly. He felt the presence of an opponent behind him and brought his sword up to block an axe.

"You're good…" Hansuke swung his free axe at Odysseus' stomach, only for it to be kicked away. Then, he attempted to headbutt the angel. Let me ask a question, what do you think is harder, a helmet that is made out of a steel alloy or the skull of a dragon slayer? Surprisingly, the latter is harder. That is proven by the cracks appearing from the 'forehead' of Odysseus' helmet. Though, that doesn't mean that headbutting a steel alloy helmet is a good idea because Hansuke reeled away from Odysseus, clutching his forehead as blood seeped from his fingers.

"Hansuke, you're injured!" Wendy exclaimed. "Let me heal you." Water began to form on her hand and she began to clean his head wound. Then she used her Sky Dragon Slayer magic to make the cut close up. Meanwhile, the others were holding Odysseus off for they figured out that Wendy was his primary target.

"_**Earth Dragon King's Dome!**_" Odysseus was encased in a dome of earth.

"_**Crystal Dragon Queen's Prison!**_" A layer of crystals began to form over the dome of earth.

"_**Fire Dragon King's Wings/Lightning Dragon King's Wings!**_" Fire wings grew out of Erza's back and Wings made out of lightning grew out of Laxus' back. They flew above the dome and prepared their attacks.

"_**Fire Dragon King's Brilliant Blaze!**_" Erza threw a humongous ball of fire at the dome.

"_**Lightning Dragon King's Maelstrom!**_" A dragon made out of lightning materialized behind Laxus and unleashed a roar at the same time Laxus unleashed his own _**Lightning Dragon King's Roar**_. The explosion the followed after their attacks was glorious. A mushroom cloud was formed and everyone was knocked down to the ground due to the force behind the explosion. Erza and Laxus crashed to the ground, making a trench in their wake.

"He should be down for good." Hansuke confidently stated.

"**Better rethink that statement, boy.**" The owner of the voice rose from the crater he was in. Everyone noticed that he was surrounded in a bright aura and he was emitting a crazy amount of magical pressure. Also, his helmet was chipped in some areas, revealing part of his skin. "**Let's kick things up a notch, eh?**"

He disappeared in a burst of speed, appearing behind Laxus. The blonde dragon slayer had barely any time to react as Odysseus hit him on his left ribs. He felt some of his ribs break and moments after receiving such a devastating blow, he was treated to another one right on the face.

"_**Fire Drive!**_" Erza was engulfed in flames and she engaged in a sword fight with the angel. A slash to the head. Blocked. A diagonal slash starting from the left shoulder. Parried. A stab to the stomach. Dodged. A kick to his side. Caught and countered with a fist. As their fight carried on, it was obvious who was superior in combat. Although, Erza had a few trick up her sleeve.

"_**Wuju Style:**_ _**Alpha Strike." **_She calmly muttered under her breath. Her sword was engulfed in fire, then it transitioned into blue flames. Everything around her slowed down, giving her time to think how to deal with him. Erza slashed at him diagonally twice, in the form of a cross, at his chest then slashed at his back in an identical method. Odysseus began to double over in pain, albeit in slow-motion. Seeing this as another opening, Erza kicked him into the air and slammed her sword on his stomach. The moment he crashed into the ground, Erza dispelled her magic, returning everything back to normal speed.

"Whoa, Erza.. What was that?" Levy asked, for all they saw while she was channeling her spell was a red blur attacking Odysseus.

"A sword spell taught to me by a Runeterran." Erza explained to them weakly. Then she collapsed to her knees, impaling the sword to the ground and using it as support. Wendy rushed to her and began to check her for injuries, thankfully there weren't any major ones.

"**And executed flawlessly, if I may say so myself..**" Their eyes widened as Odysseus walked out of the crater, his armour cracked in many places and bigger chunks of his helmet missing which revealed blonde hair. "**However, play time is over.."**

"_**Angelic Arts: Ascending Light!**_" His entire body shone in a golden light and he swung his sword horizontally. The blade released 7 apparitions of energy shaped like angels towards the dragon slayers. When the apparitions hit their target, they exploded and knocked their targets out.

"**Natsu spoke highly of all of you. Unfortunately, you didn't reach my standards, therefore you all failed.**" He was about to fly away when a stream of high-pressure water hit him on the shoulder. Wendy was struggling to keep herself upright at the moment and her knees were screaming for her to sit down. She couldn't sit down, not after hearing that Natsu had high hopes for all of them. She didn't want to disappoint her figurative brother and mentor. It was all for naught when her knees finally gave up underneath her and she collapsed.

"**Your tenacity is admirable, Wendy.**" The angel landed in front of her and knelt down to look in her eyes. "**But it can only get you so far in a fight. Especially against someone who is superior to you in strength and speed.**" Once he got his message across, he stood up and flew into a portal to the heavens. After the portal closed, Wendy's exhaustion caught up to her and she fainted. For a few minutes, it was quiet in the battlefield with the dragon slayers out cold in their own respective craters. Then Natsu teleported to the edge of the tree line with a small smile on his face.

"His standards were too damn high anyways." He shook his head as he began to heal the unconscious mages. "All of you passed in my book."

* * *

_A DRAGONREALM MONTH LATER_

"Come on guys, you're still pissed about losing to Odysseus?" Natsu asked with a hint of humour in his voice. At the moment, his friends were grumbling about stupid angels or being too damn weak to beat walking armour from their bunks. It was funny to a point, but it got really interesting when one teased the other of losing after one attack. Though Erza was in a depressed mood for quite a while because her loss made her feel unworthy of Natsu. Thankfully he put those thoughts out of his head after a night of 'fun'.

"Easy for you to say, you were the only human who beat him in hand-to-hand." Laxus barked.

"That was after 4 attempts. How many times must I tell you guys that?" It was this argument all over again. Everytime he tries to cheer them up, they always counter with the same statement.

"You know what guys, I think that it's high time that we get home to Earthland." Half of the room gave him enthusiastic yes' while the other half gave him hesitant no's. He had a way to get them all to say yes, thankfully. "When we get there, I'll treat you guys to an all-you-can-eat buffet."

"**LET'S GO!**" Everyone jumped from their bunks and dragged Natsu outside, obviously eager to eat something else rather than barracks food.

They exited the portal and were in front of the guild building. For some reason, it was empty save for Makarov, Lee Sin, Udyr, and a couple of guild members.

"Hey old man, where's everyone else?" Hansuke asked Makarov.

"Well Hansuke," A tick mark grew on his forehead at the annoying nickname. "They went to the Celestial Spirit's world because of a problem occurring there. Three months have passed and they still haven't returned." As he finished speaking, the centre of the guild building erupted in a bright light and in the middle were the missing and shell-shocked members. Suddenly, Gray and Mira fainted, causing everyone to jump at them in surprise.

"Three months wasted in that place…." Gray weakly muttered in his catatonic state. Then something clicked inside Natsu's mind, different realms have different rates which time travels in.

"Hey Gray," the shell-shocked ice mage turned to face his rival, "What happened there?"

"One of Lucy's spirits popped out of nowhere during one of our breaks. She told us that there was trouble in the Celestial Spirits' Realm and we had to go there to help them out. When we got there, it was actually a birthday party for Lucy. We celebrate for the entire day and when we asked her if time flows just like in the Dragonrealm, they told us that it was the opposite. Then they sent us back.

"I see," Natsu bowed his head and then, "**BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**" He laughed loudly, along with the other dragon slayers at Gray's unfortunate turn of events.

"**SHUT UP!**" Gray jumped up and socked Natsu in the face. Erza retaliated for her mate, causing Juvia to hit Erza for her boyfriend. Erza went flying to Gajeel and Levy, enraging them both and just like that another patented Fairy Tail brawl began. Meanwhile, Natsu began to converse with the Runeterrans.

"So how was their progress?"

"Elfman adapted my fighting style and implemented techniques from my magic to his quite magnificently." Udyr gave him a debrief of his student.

"The others learned quickly and advanced their skills in a good pace. However, two mages stood out from the rest. They were Gray and Mirajane, since we saw their amazing potential we trained them at an advance pace." Lee Sin gave Natsu his own debrief.

"I see, thank you for coming here and teaching them." Natsu bowed to them.

"No problem, Natsu. At least we're now even from that time you saved us from those Noxian troops." They shared a small laugh together.

"I take it that the both of you are leaving?"

"We leave at first light tomorrow, but for now, we'll enjoy the company of the harbingers of insanity known as Fairy Tail."

"**NAAAAAATSSUUUUUUU~**" Erza yelled through the crowd, looking for her mate. When she found him, she quickly ran to his location and hit him at the back of the head. "You promised to treat the dragon slayers in an all-you-can-eat buffet." She reminded him with an angry pout on her face.

"I did, didn't I?" He walked the the middle of the guild hall, took a deep breath and yelled, "**DRAGON SLAYERS ON ME!**" In a flash, they appeared in front of Natsu. "Let's go eat out."

"Oi Natsu, what about us?" Gray yelled at the retreating dragon slayers. But it was ignored, for the dragon slayers were wondering what should they eat. They passed by a gazebo and noticed 3 men hanging around it. One was wearing a pink lycra suit, the other was wearing a red lycra suit and had glasses on, while the last guy was naked except for a multi-coloured speedo. The last guy was caucasian, had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was well-built.

They watched as the blonde knelt down and flexed after what seems to be a conversation between the two lycra clad men. The blonde was later revealed to be named Prometheus. After a rock-paper-scissors game between the two lycra men and some incoherent yelling, 'Prometheus' began to chase the pink lycra man to another gazebo. The red lycra man and the dragon slayers were trailing behind them.

Unfortunately, the pink man tripped, giving 'Prometheus' and opportunity to throw a garbage bin at the prone individual.

"**O CHIN CHIN," **the man yelled, "**O CHIN CHIN!**" Movement was heard from some trees in the distance and the red lycra man's eyes were wide in recognition of the name. Out of the tree came a man wearing a black lycra suit and had crudely drawn eyes on his closed eyelids.

"Ore Wa chinchin ga daisuki nandayo!" The Fairy Tail mages sweatdropped at the man's choice of introductory words. They kept on watching as the black lycra clad man beat the red lycra man to the ground, in a comical fashion. However, 'Prometheus' decided to throw another garbage bin at the black lycra man, ending the fight.

"What the hell did we just watch?" Levy asked the others. They responded with either shrugs or blank looks.

"Let's not tell anyone about our encounter with those guys." Maria suggested.

"Agreed." Everyone said in unison.

* * *

"Thanks again, Natsu-san. Those meals were delicious." Wendy said as they walked home. currently, it was nighttime.

"No problem, think of it as a reward for doing well against your fight with Odysseus and training with me and the dragons."

"A reward well deserved, seriously you train us worse than the dragons." Gajeel grumbled.

"I do?"

"Yeah, compared to dragon training, your methods of training us were like going through hell." Levy answered.

"Heh, sorry about that." Natsu sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"**NAAATSSUU!**" A blue blur hit Natsu in the head, causing him to fall down.

"Happy, control yourself. You might wake up the people sleeping." Erza scolded the exceed while helping Natsu up.

"Sorry." Happy looked down in shame, before looking back up to Natsu. "Hey Natsu, there was was a message sent to us while you were gone."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they just requested us to meet up at a broken bridge by a nearby beach tomorrow morning."

"Who did they mean as 'us'." Laxus asked, feeling suspicious about the invitation.

"Dunno, Master assumed that they meant the people participating in the games, but he said that all the dragon slayers should go as well."

"Hmmm.." Natsu was currently deep in thought on how to deal with this situation. "Everybody, get some sleep we're going there tomorrow."

* * *

"Ya'know, I starting to regret healing my motion sickness a bit." Gajeel mused to himself.

"Why is that?" Levy asked.

"Watching the landscape go by is boring." Was his simple reason.

"I agree with you." Natsu said. Erza's head was currently on his lap, because she wanted to sleep during the ride. "But hey, you won't have to go through pain every 3 minutes."

"I guess."

"_We have now arrived at Jinkuri resort._" The PA sounded throughout the train.

"This is our stop guys." He nudged Erza awake before grabbing his luggage and exiting the train. "Alright, is everyone here?"

"Aye!" the large group of Fairy Tail mages answered back. They began to walk aimlessly to find the bridge near this place.

"Excuse me," Lucy asked a random passerby. "Is there a broken bridge nearby?"

"Sure, cutie. I show you where it is if you give me a good time tonight." The man answered with a lustful smile on his face. Before she could respond, a bright light appeared behind the man and before she knew it, the man was being lifted in the air by Loke/Leo.

"Say that again." Loke darkly said.

"I-I-I'm sorry."

"I know you are and you can prove that you're sorry by telling this lovely lady where the bridge is."

"It'sneartheriverakilometerortwonorthofthislocation." The man quickly said in rapid fire succession. Surprisingly, Loke understood everything he said.

"Thanks." He dropped the man and relayed the information he learned to Lucy.

"You liiiiiiiiiiike hiiiiiim.~" A blue cat flew above them and said those words teasingly.

"**I DON'T!**" Lucy screamed at him.

"And you liiiiike heeer!" The Fairy Tail mages joined in teasing the two, causing them to blush heavily.

"**LIES!**" They both yelled in unison.

"It's ok Lucy, denial is the first stage." Mira, Levy and Erza said at the same time.

"**I'M NOT IN DENIAL**!" She yelled at the laughing members of Fairy Tail.

"Okay, okay. Calm down Lucy, and we should be headed to that bridge now." Minutes later, they reached the bridge, but no one was there.

"If this is a trap, you all owe me money." Laxus confidently said.

"That is where you are wrong." A voice sounded from across the broken bridge. Three hooded figures appeared from the foliage.

"Who are you?" Erza asked, but she somehow felt that she knew them. One of them even smelled familiar. Behind her, Laxus was handing out wads of jewels to the others.

"We're old friends." They lowered their hoods to reveal the members of the independent guild: Crime Sorciere.

"Jellal? Ultear? Meredy? What are you doing here?" Erza asked them, surprised that they would risk being caught.

"We heard news about your participation of the Grand Magic Games this year and we've had some interesting findings during the games. So, we're here to request you to work with us." Ultear explained.

"Sure." Natsu said almost instantly. "What are the terms?"

'_He agreed to work with Crime Sorciere that fast…..'_ Everyone thought in unison.

"U-u-uh, right. I assume you all have heard of the Second Origin, a dormant magical container in a mage's body containing vast amounts of magic. Well, in exchange for your 'service', I'll unlock your Second Origins."

"What do you mean by service?" Laxus asked.

"For the past few years, there have been traces of Zerefian magic found during the Grand Magic Games, we need you to help us find out the source of said magic." Meredy explained.

"Oh, alright. So who's going first?" Natsu asked, everyone instantly looked around except for Natsu. "Fine, I'll go first."

"Just a heads up Natsu, this will be the most painful experience you'll ever have." Ultear warned with a sadistic smirk on her face. Natsu kept a straight face as he followed her to a nearby hut. She told him to strip his clothes off and after he did, she began to channel her magic from her crystal ball. Marks appeared on Natsu's body and he began to scream in pain, much to the worry of Erza.

"I'm going to pass this opportunity for some other time." Said some of the more unwilling members of Fairy Tail. The others weren't that scared, so they began to strip to their underwear and take part with the operation. They were Laxus, Mira, Gajeel, Levy, Maria, Hansuke, Wendy, Juvia, Gray, Lucy, Elfman and Erza. However, Erza was dragged away by Jellal.

"Why pull out of there?" She was a little irritated to leave Natsu in pain there.

"Just wanted to talk, it's been 3 years since our last real conversation."

"So how's life treating you Erza?" He had brought her to a cliff with a view of the ocean.

"It's been good, Jellal. I take that you are still trying to atone for your sins through Crime Sorciere."

"I am, Erza, I still am." He looked downcast, and he didn't know that it affected Erza quite negatively.

"Jellal, why are still beating yourself up after all these years? I forgave you a long time ago about what happened to Simon."

"It's not about you forgiving me. It's about forgiving myself." He looked up at her with steely eyes. "Everytime I think about it, I can't help but blame myself for killing Simon, ruining the lives of our old friends, and nearly killing you. Sometimes, I think about killing myself to truly atone for my sins."

_*smack*_ Erza smacked him in the face with furious eyes. "Are you kidding me Jellal!? Where did all of this cowardly speak come from?"

"It's just that I'm not as strong as you." He quietly muttered, but she heard it.

"So you think dying for the sake of others is strength?! Living for the sake of others is true strength! You're making me doubt that you're the Jellal that I used to know, the same Jellal who struggled to live and cared for others."

"You're right Erza." He softly spoke. Infuriated, she lifted him by the collar and before she could do anything, they tripped on the stone Jellal was sitting on and tumbled down to the shore. When they stopped, Jellal was above Erza. "You're always right."

"Jellal.." She whispered. He leaned in, and she leaned towards him. She knew that it was wrong, she knew that she was betraying Natsu if she did this. But the child in her, the infatuated child who was madly in love with the bluenette above her, told her that this was what her heart truly desired. Before she knew it, she was in an intense lip-lock with Jellal. Her mind clouded with a childhood fantasy that she believed in for many years. She did not notice the red dragon mark she loved to stare at disappeared as if being burned. Although, she felt a burning sensation on her right arm and pushed Jellal away.

'_A Dragon Slayer is subjected to eternal love,"_ A lesson about Dragon Slayer heritage popped into her mind as she slowly came out of her shock. "_A Dragon Slayer's mate has the luxury to fall in and out of love; therefore it is the Dragon Slayer's mate's responsibility to maintain unwavering loyalty with the Dragon Slayer.'_

"No…" Her eyes misted with tears as the realization of what she had done hit her like a freight train. She had betrayed Natsu, the true love of her life. "No, no, no, no…." She clutched her hair and shook her head, feeling guilty at her actions.

"**ERZA!**" A familiar voice reached her ears.

"Happy?" She looked up and saw the enraged eyes of the blue exceed. "I'm sorry…" But he didn't hear her.

"You. **F******. W****!**"

* * *

**ErMahGerd guys, I have finally uploaded a chapter! Thank you all so much for being patient. I began to write after all my exams have been written, but life got in the way (as well as procrastination), causing me to stop writing for a while. I'm sorry, but chapters will come less frequently because of the issue at hand: How will I make Erza be with Natsu again after her betrayal? That and 10k chapters are hard to organize and write.**

**Sorry if this chapter seemed boring/uneventful/meaningless. I try to make it interesting, but I seem to be unable to do so….. Gomendesai!**

**I still will give you guys the sneak peeks.**

* * *

**Laxus Dreyar was on the ground, eyes wide and body shaking. He tried to move away from the approaching figure, but to no avail since his arms were broken.**

"**Flash before my eyes...**" The figure softly sang as they neared the blonde dragon slayer.

"**Now it's time to die...**"

* * *

They stood there, processing the information they were given. After all these years, the lives they were living were a lie. One of the people in front of them stepped forward in attempt to alleviate their conflicting feelings.

"Honey..."

"**NO! IT CAN'T BE. YOU'RE -**"

* * *

"Natsu?"

"Hmmmm? Oh Knightwalker, how nice of you to join me! Tell me, how's my Edolas

counterpart? In fact, give me an entire debrief on how life currently is in Edolas.."

"N-N-Natsu?" Her voice broke in sorrow.

* * *

**GMG in about a chapter or two! Twisted the timeline a bit, by the way. Next chapter will take place about two months before GMG so that there's time for Natsu and Erza to sort things out. Pls. Gimme ideas for the issue above.**

**Scene with lycra clad people is actually a youtube video: "Rock, Paper, Scissors?" by TVFilthyFrank**

_**Das2Eazy signing off**_


	14. See The Devil In I

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

Erza jolted up from her sleep and she immediately felt pain on her abdomen. She looked down where her wounds were located and saw that the bandages were slowly being caked with red blood from her sudden jerk. Currently, she was wearing her all black undergarments. Her throat was sore and dry from how much crying she'd done the night before. Erza was once again residing in her room at Fairy Hills, as she couldn't bring herself to go back to the house of the man she had betrayed. Why had she betrayed him? What brought her to kiss Jellal? There was something off during that day, but no matter because Natsu probably hates her guts now. It has been two weeks since she has kissed Jellal and broke Natsu's heart and his trust in her. She slowly got up from her bed and clumsily walked towards the kitchen, pausing a moment to stare at her reflection at a nearby mirror.

Her hair was a mess, every part of it was tangled, and it has lost its shine. She had not bothered to brush it for nearly a week. Her skin was pale as Mirajane's, perhaps even paler due to staying indoors in order to recover from her injuries. Her curvy frame has started to slowly regress. After so much malnourishment during the past two weeks she'd lost quite a bit of weight. Sometimes, it took some convincing from Wendy for her to actually eat more food. Her eyes revealed how hollow she was feeling after the incident. The Erza-esque aura behind her usually steely eyes dissipated with each consecutive day she spent away from Natsu.

Suddenly she clutched her head in pain as a new headache hit her. Unfortunately, the headache came with the reminder of what she had done and what happened afterwards.

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

"You, **F****** W****!**" The blue furball known as Happy activated _**Max Speed**_ and tackled Erza. When they hit the ground, Happy transformed into his battle stance and began to rain blows on Erza's unprotected face. She could feel that each successive blow had more power underneath and as much as she wanted Happy to vent out his anger, she knew that her chances of dying were increasing with each punch.

"_**Requip!**_" Happy was momentarily blinded as Erza requip, but he didn't falter as he brought another closed fist down upon Erza's face.

_*clang*_

"Ouch!" Happy's fist recoiled from hitting the hard metal of Erza's Adamantine Armour. He was roughly pushed off by Erza; within a few moments of being airborne, Happy had unsheathed two swords from his dual scabbards. These swords were gifts from Hansuke, who had made them with the same metal his axes were made out of.

"Happy, please let me explain." Erza frantically attempted to reason with the angry Exceed, but it was in vain. In fact, her attempt seemed to have agitated Happy even more.

"**NO!**" Happy yelled at her, the anger behind his voice made Erza flinch, "The moment you kissed that blue-haired son of a b**** was when all forms of negotiation were rendered void. Now, stay still so that I can avenge Natsu for all the hurt you've put him through." At his last statement, a very out of place sadistic grin formed on Happy's face. Happy lunged at her with a battle roar, swords poised to slice her to bits. Out of pure instinct, Erza brought the shields up to block the swords. Her eyes widened when Happy jumped to her side and kicked her abdomen, sending her crashing into the water.

"Come on, Erza-san.. I know that the kick wasn't enough to defeat you. Be a good girl and accept your punishment, after all you loved giving out punishment to Natsu." Happy was disappointed when Erza didn't come out of the sea. Feeling a little impatient to carry out Erza's punishment, he floated over to the spot where Erza landed. He wasn't expecting Erza's hand to lash out and drag him underwater.

* * *

_PRESENT_

Erza collapsed to the floor from the pain coming from the headache, the large cut on her abdomen and the heartache that she was going through at that moment. Fresh tears escaped her eyes as she whimpered all whilst more memories arrived to reinforce the assault of guilt.

"I'm sorry Natsu." She whispered to herself for the umpteenth time. The pain was starting to reach nigh unbearable levels when a saviour in the form of a young bluenette dragon slayer noticed her.

"Erza-san!" Wendy exclaimed in surprise when she saw the crying and prone body of one of her role models. She ran towards the redhead and flinched when the air around Erza began to heat up. Apparently, she still has control over her Fire Dragon Slayer magic as well as some of the spells she learned during her training. However, the information about more complex spells of her other 'compatible slayer magics' as well as her telepathic abilities that she had shared with Natsu had disappeared from her. She put her hand onto Erza's head, and even though her Fire Dragon Slayer magic made her have increased body temperature, Wendy has gained the ability to figure out a person's sickness (if any) through the use of her magic.

"Your fever returned, Erza-san. You shouldn't be walking around, your body still can't handle the stress." Wendy informed her friend. Her eyes drifted to Erza's abdomen and she gasped when she noticed that her friend's wounds have reopened and had begun to dry, leaving big brown splotches in place of the once white bandages. The sky maiden gently picked up Erza's weak body and guided her back to her bed.

"I'm sorry Wendy." Erza's voice was raspy from her fairly dry throat. "I just wanted a drink."

"You could have just called for me." They reached her bedroom and Wendy laid Erza down on the bed before grabbing a water bottle for her, which Erza greedily took. "We let you stay here instead of the infirmary because you have Mira and I nearby. If you continue to agitate your wounds we're going to have to move you to the infirmary."

"Thank you Wendy, I'm sorry for bothering you." Erza softly said as she looked at her own hands. It pained Wendy to see Erza so…. broken. This was so different from the Erza everyone loved, this person seemed to have lost their way in life. "Wendy.."

"Yes Erza?" Wendy had a feeling that Erza was going to ask a very hard question.

"Do you think that Natsu hates me now?" Erza looked up at Wendy with pleading eyes. Wendy honestly couldn't answer this question.

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

As Happy was being dragged underwater, he noticed that Erza was in her Sea Empress Armour. He immediately knew that he had to get out, and quickly in fear of Erza attacking him with the extra strength the Water around her provided her. He turned tail and began to swim to the shore, but he couldn't make it for Erza requipped into her Lightning Empress armour and zapped the water around them. Erza then requipped back to her Sea Empress armour, grabbed an unconscious Happy and brought him back to the shore. The knightess laid him down before requipping to her usual attire.

"I'm sorry Happy, but I have to fix things between Natsu and I immediately." She turned to walk away to find Natsu. Suddenly, pain erupted on her abdomen and she saw a cut appear on her left hip, courtesy of a sloppily thrown sword from Happy.

"Have you forgotten that I was raised by Natsu?" Happy slowly got up while clutching his other sword very tightly, "Therefore, it would take much more than a such a small amount of electricity to take me down…. _**Requip!**_" Happy was engulfed in a bright light as his figure began to change. When the light receded, Happy's torso was clad in plate armour with a chainmail shirt underneath. His legs were also covered with plate armour with thick pants underneath. His face was covered by a large helm (a helmet that covered the entire head with two slits for the eyes) with a chainmail hood underneath. A heater-style shield was strapped to his back and a broad sword is sheathed on his left hip. His hands are wielding a claymore sword with a four foot blade. A loose black tunic covered his chest plate and on the tunic was a red dragon.

"Have at thee, Scarlet!" Happy jumped and swung his big ass sword downwards. Erza clumsily dodged the sword as a new sensation of pain coursed through her body from her injury. Happy quickly recovered from his miss and swung horizontally at head level. Thankfully, as Erza was backtracking away from Happy, she tripped on a tree root and this causing the blade to narrowly miss her head. The cut on her hip however, began to sting a bit due to the sand that got into it when she fell.

"Happy, please stop! I don't want to hurt you!" She requipped a broad katana and blocked the claymore that would've split her in half vertically. The blue Exceed warrior didn't respond to her pleas, he simply pushed her away and attempted to cut her in half again. Erza jumped away from Happy, but the armoured Exceed was so damn persistent in killing her. Once again, Happy slashed downwards in hopes of cutting her in half and once again, Erza blocked the sword. She wasn't prepared for a plated gauntlet fist to punch her in the face. Before she went flying, Happy quickly grabbed her foot and slammed her to the ground. As Erza laid there in pain, Happy raised his sword and plunged it into Erza's chest. Luckily for Erza, and unluckily for Happy, a burst of strong wind caused Happy's aim to divert and stab the ground in between Erza's left arm and chest.

'_Where did that wind come from?_' They both quickly pondered this, but pushed the thought away as Happy was tripped by Erza and she rolled away. Happy growled as he grabbed Erza by the ankle and pulled, real hard.

"**AAAAH!**" Erza could feel her ankle dislocating from the sheer amount of force that Happy was pouring into his death grip. In an act of desperation, she requipped a mace and slammed it on Happy's chest. The impact forced the Exceed to let go and crumple up due to the sensation of a rib breaking and the air being forced out of his lungs. As Happy was regaining his bearings, Erza snapped her ankle back in place rather painfully. She cried out in pain once more as tears stung her eyes and when she wiped the tears away, she saw that Happy was taking off his dented chestplate.

"A broken rib for a dislocated ankle, it hardly seems like a fair trade. But it doesn't matter, for the only fair trade in our little duel taking your life to counteract the pain you have caused my surrogate father." Happy charged Erza once more, claymore poised to stab her. Coming to terms with the fact that Happy wouldn't be willing to speak peacefully with her, Erza reluctantly requipped to her Black Wing Armour. Erza parried the claymore and bonked him on the head with the pommel of her sword, annoying him greatly. Happy swung his sword backwards, letting the momentum twist his body. Erza blocked the blow and looked at Happy dead in the eyes. She could see that his eyes weren't the black globes of happiness that reminded her of Natsu during her times of turmoil before Natsu came back. His eyes were now like a feline's, with an amber iris and pupils in a slit, she could see unbridled hatred and anger.

"I'm sorry Happy, but you have left me no choice." Erza disarmed Happy by sliding her swords blade behind the hilt of Happy's claymore and pulled, causing his sword to fly out of his grip. Instinctively, Happy put his hand on his sheathed broadsword and pulled it out, but was too late as Erza socked him in the face with her armoured fist. Erza flew at Happy and requipped into her Flame Empress Armour while high up in the air. She built up some fire at the blade and then swung it downwards at him. A large explosion of fire occurred and Erza was really worried if that was a bit too much for Happy. Her eyes widened when she saw Happy with his shield up and an untouched circle of sand underneath his feet. The rest of the sand surrounding him had turned to glass with the temperature of the flames. His shield also had the same insignia on his tunic, a red dragon over a black background.

"Hehehe, nice try Erza."

"How?"

"This shield is specially made. It kinda negates magic at a dome around me, though magic from within the dome can still hurt me. Kind of like Yuka from Lamia Scale's Wave magic." Happy then knelt down a jumped up with all his might, his shield arm extended outwards. The speed he was travelling in greatly surprised Erza, thus she didn't react quick enough to defend against the cat as Happy slammed his shield into Erza's torso. Erza coughed up saliva and blood as Happy kept on flying upwards toward her launch. When they reached the peak of their ascent, Happy grabbed Erza by the neck and angled her body so that it would impact the ground upon landing.

Erza choked due to Happy's grip on her neck. It was almost like Odysseus' death grip. Thinking fast, she requipped into her Lightning Empress Armour and began to emit electric currents to shock Happy. Her plan backfired as Happy tightened his grip even more to mitigate the pain of electricity coursing through his body. She immediately stopped channeling magic, but Happy's grip didn't loosen. As they neared the ground, Erza became frantic. The impact is bound to kill her, or at least render her immobile for the rest of her life.

'_I'm sorry Happy.' _In an act of desperation, Erza stabbed Happy's arm with the spear she was holding. Happy screamed in pain, and consequently, let go of Erza's neck. She turned her body, as well as Happy's, sideways before kicked him away and requipping into her Heaven's Wheel armour. Before Happy hit the ground, his wings popped out of his armour and he flew towards Erza. Erza summoned a few swords in preparation of another assault from Happy. He flew towards her, blocking every sword that flew towards him. When he met Erza, he slashed diagonally. Erza flew backwards to dodge it and then brought her swords down on Happy's shield. Happy pushed back at Erza, surprising her with his display of brute strength, a characteristic she recognized from her spars with Natsu. After pushing her away, Happy flew above Erza and kicked her towards the ground. She spat out saliva and was disoriented, but she righted herself just before hitting the ground.

"**EEEEEEERRZZZZAAAAAAAAA!**" The knight looked up and saw Happy plummeting at high speeds with his sword aimed at her. Erza brought up her own swords to block his and when they met, a gale was produced and a crater formed underneath Erza. She pushed him away and then requipped into her Black Wing Armour and engaged in another sword fight with the Exceed warrior. Slash. Block. Stab. Parry. They were going back and forth with each other, never being on the offensive or defensive for long. A minute, thirty minutes, an hour; they have lost track on how long they have been fighting each other. All that mattered was that they won the battle. The odds were against Erza for she was trying to win without hurting Happy too much, while Happy just wanted to kill her. They flew back up to the skies and were about to meet each other with a flying slash, when suddenly.…..

"**RAAAAAAAAAAGH!**" A loud scream was heard from the forest before an orange and red shockwave hit Erza and Happy, causing them to plummet into the ocean. They quickly surfaced and their eyes widened at recognition of the voice. It was Natsu. And he was in pain. A lot of pain. Or so they thought.

* * *

_PRESENT_

"I don't know Erza." Wendy answered. Erza seemed to sulk a bit more at her answer. "It's hard to know what his true emotions are because he's still in a coma."

"It's my fault that he's in a coma." Erza whispered to herself.

"Erza, it isn't - "

"**YES IT IS WENDY!**" Erza exploded at the young dragon slayer. "If I didn't cheat on him, then he wouldn't have succumbed to his draconic instincts and nearly kill everyone then pass out into a coma due to magic deficiency." She lowered her head so that her hair covered her face.

"Erza…" Wendy didn't know what to say, to a point Erza was right. It was Erza's fault that Natsu lost control to his draconic instincts, but Wendy believed that her cheating on Jellal wasn't her fault entirely. And she wasn't alone with this ideology, Mira and Cana, two of Erza's closest friends besides the members of Team Natsu, also believed that there was something off on that day. An outside stimulus, if you may, made her kiss him. Erza's bandages became deep red once more, making Wendy get some new bandages as well as a first aid kit.

"Erza, I'll be changing your bandages and reclosing your injuries." Wendy told Erza, who simply nodded. Wendy removed the bandages and cringed a bit at her injuries. On Erza's left hip was a scar of a fairly shallow cut, but on her stomach was a deep cut with stitches attempting to close the wound. Surprisingly, the wound refused to be healed through magical means. Even attempts to cauterize the wound with fire only seemed to hurt Erza rather than close the wound. So, Porlyusica resorted to traditional medicine. However, the stitches got loose and some were out of place, thus Wendy had to restitch the wound. She used her Water Dragon Slayer Magic to clean Erza's cut. Erza stiffened and grit her teeth at the stinging sensation from the disinfectant.

"Sorry." Wendy softly said. After cleaning the wound, she got a needle and began to prepare to it for the stitching.

* * *

_FLASHBACK - ONE MINUTE BEFORE THE KISS_

"Damn, that hurt." Natsu whined as he walked around the forest. Every step sent a jolt of pain to his legs, but it was miniscule. Thank goodness that his training with Lee Sin made his pain tolerance much higher, though the pain he experienced from the Second Origin process pretty much made his training seem useless. The others were currently recovering or going through the process right now.

"I wonder where Erza is." Natsu mused to himself. During the process and his recovery, he didn't see Erza at all. Though he did remember Jellal bringing Erza with him, not that Natsu minded. Jellal was probably going to talk with because according to Erza, it has been years since they had a real conversation. When his legs began to actually hurt, he found a stump to sit on. A minute passed, He was about to walk back to camp when his left arm began to burn. He began to look around and sniff the area, thinking that someone attacked him. When he deemed the area safe, he had a horrible guess on what caused the pain. Taking his jacket off much faster than Gray, his eyes widened in fear when the mating mark disappeared.

He clutched his head in pain as a vision of what caused the mark to disappear flooded his mind. His eyes began to tear up at what he saw. His mate having a very passionate lip lock with Jellal Fernandez. The same man who has caused her so much pain in the past. Not knowing what to do, Natsu did what he think was his only choice. He wept. He wept as his memories with his loved one surfaced in his mind. He wept as every kiss, every intimate moment they had together, re-etched themselves into his memory. He wept as the memory of her kissing Jellal assaulted his heart.

'_Kill him...' _a voice whispered in his mind. Natsu's head snapped up in surprise. The voice sounded very familiar to him, but he didn't know when he had ever heard the voice or who the owner of the voice was.

"Who's there?" Natsu asked standing up from the stump, taking a defensive stance.

'_She is no longer yours…._' Natsu felt like his heart was stabbed by a knife.

"No, it was an accident. I'm sure of it." His argument felt weak, but Natsu stuck to it.

'_Huh? If it was an accident, why did she enjoy that intimate moment, eh?_' Natsu was quiet. The voice was right, based off of what he saw, Erza enjoyed the kiss.

"I don't know what to do anymore." Natsu grimly concluded.

'_Kill him..._' The voice repeated, this time it sounded like it is pushing Natsu to commit the act.

"Kill who?" Natsu had a feeling he knew who the strange voice was referring to.

"_Jellal Fernandez…._'

"Why should I?" His voice betrayed what he was really feeling. In truth, Natsu wanted to rip out Jellal's heart and then give him a 'Colombian Necktie'. There was something about this voice that made him trust it. However, his vow as a Fairy Tail mage made him have second thoughts about committing the act.

'_Because….. That bastard took her from you. You have every right to eviscerate him and with me, I can make it more enjoyable.'_ The way he spoke confused Natsu. The voice was speaking as if it was an individual living in his mind.

"What do you mean by 'with me'?"

'_Let me show you._' Natsu felt like someone was grabbing his head and pulling him. He momentarily blacked out and when he opened his eyes again, he was inside a black room. The room was plain except for a table and two chairs on each side. Sitting in the chair behind the table was… him. But it wasn't really him, the apparition had red irises, black tattoos on his arm's as well as a tattoo that spelled **E.N.D.** on his chest, and the biggest difference was a pair of horns atop his head.

"Who are you?" The apparition/clone smirked.

"**I am you, but not the you everyone knows. I am the yin to your yang. My name is E.N.D."**

"Uhh. kinda figured that part out, since your name is tattooed to your chest." Natsu smirked at his own little joke.

"**Haha, you're funny. Who knew that you were such a skilled comedian.**" END sarcastically commented while clapping half-heartedly.

"In all seriousness, something tells me that you are the demon side that Agamemnon told me about." E.N.D. nodded. "What did you mean about making the act of killing Jellal more enjoyable?"

"**Well for starters, I have been killing living beings left and right for over four hundred years.**" Natsu's eyes widened at the piece of information. "**It gets boring after killing a few hundred people with the same old method, so I found ways to kill in a more entertaining fashion. For example, instead of burning a guy to death, I shove my hand inside of the poor guy and release my magic from within his body. A moment later, BOOM! SPLAT! Hehehehehe, the guy blows up. HAHAHAHAHA." **END cackled manically. Natsu was shaking by this point, he couldn't believe that he was a cold-blooded murderer.

"How could you?" Natsu softly questioned the demon. END just looked at him, confusion in his eyes. "How could you throw lives away for your own entertainment?! The ones you killed could've been the fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, or very close friends of other people. Have you no understanding of the worth of a human life?"

"**Unfortunately, no. I don't understand the worth of a human life.**" END sounded pretty sad about that. "**Not that I care! Humans are inferior to us demons. They always were and always will be! And quit that human-loving talk of yours, you sound like Zeref when you do that.**" Natsu clenched his fists in anger at this murderous demon. How dare he compare him to the evilest dark wizards there is. How dare he consider humans inferior to demons. If anything, humans are superior to demons in his opinion.

"**Oh, did I hit a nerve?**" The demon asked in mock confusion. Natsu simply kept silent as he glared at the demon. "**Hehehe, you just love the humans don't you. Especially that worthless piece of trash redhead which you consider your mate.**" Natsu then saw red.

"Don't talk about her like that!" Natsu dashed at the demon with amazing speed. He threw a flaming punch at the demon. To his surprise, it caught the punch with minimal effort.

"**Weak.**" END backhanded Natsu lightly, in his perspective. The 'light' backhand caused Natsu to go flying into the opposite wall and break it, revealing another room that was identical to END's office. Natsu slowly rolled over from his laid down position and got to his knees. When he looked up, END grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face down on the floor. "**You don't have the strength to beat me human because I am Zeref's strongest creation. As much as I want to kill you, I can't since we are linked because of the stupid dragon's spell. If you die , so do I."**

The demon turned around and walked away, but before he could dissipate back into Natsu's subconsciousness, he felt a hand grab his right ankle. Chuckling to himself, he faced the owner of the hand although he already knew who it was. "**What do you want weakling?**"

"Why haven't you taken me over? I mean you're obviously stronger than me by leaps and bounds, so you should be able to do so effortlessly." Natsu looked up at him and saw the demon cracking a sarcastic smile at him.

"**Do you want to be taken over by me?**" Natsu shook his head. "**Thought so. The reason on why I can't take you over is that a spell has been applied on you that prevents me from taking over your body. However, there are a few loopholes in the spell. IF you let me take you over, then I can. Also, the spell may be powerful, but it can be easily dispelled with certain kinds of dark magic.**"

"Well, I have a proposition for you END." The demon's eyes glimmered with excitement.

"**I'm listening, Natsu**."

"I will let you take me over so that Jellal can pay for taking Erza away from me. However, don't kill him, I want him to feel the pain. And when the deed is done, I'll be controlling my body once more." A sadistic glint appeared in Natsu's eyes as he laid out his plans.

"**Interesting, but where's the fun if I don't kill him and when you take over again after I hurt the guy.**"

"Alright, if you don't like the proposition, I suggest that you enjoy watching me hurt Jellal instead of doing it yourself."

"**Wait, wait, wait ,wait… Wait, I was just kidding…. Hehehe, of course I'll do what you ask. But what about your guildmates or your masters? They'll get suspicious when they feel the demonic Zerefian magic coming from you.**" Natsu then got a blank look on his face as he tried to find a solution to that problem. Finding none, he facepalmed.

"Damn, I didn't think about that. How about I let you speak to me in my mind? You know, like instruct me on how to maim that blue haired son of a b****. That way, you can kinda enjoy the show because it's going your way and I can feel the joy of hurting him without anyone getting suspicious." END's face broke into a lecherous grin.

"**I like it, so it's a deal?**" He held out his hand.

"It's a deal." Natsu firmly said, shaking END's hand. At the same moment, a brief sensation of warmth passed over them.

"...tsu." Another voice reached their ears. This time it was external and it sounded vaguely familiar.

"...Natsu…." Natsu strained his ears to remember the owner of the voice, because it was a little distorted.

"Natsu, you alright?" His eyes widened in realization. It was Jellal. Both he and END gained sadistic grins as they slowly got brought back to consciousness. Natsu's body shivered a bit from its slumped position, scaring Jellal a bit. He lifted his head up and Jellal was surprised to see the furious expression on his face.

"I….." Natsu began slowly, never averting his gaze away from the former wizard saint. "Am….Not…. Fine….. Fernandez." Jellal's eyes widened when Natsu dashed towards him. He barely had enough time to bring his arms up to block the powerful punch. However, blocking was a bad idea because when Natsu's hand connected with Jellal's arms, he immediately felt as if he was being drained and burned at the same time.

He didn't see the other hand come up and hit his right cheek. When he went flying, Natsu predicted his trajectory, dashed in front of him and then kicked Jellal away, far away. As Jellal went flying, Natsu crouched and with all his might, along with some help with his Dragon Slayer Magic, jumped towards Jellal faster than the speed of sound and created a strong gust of wind at the process. When they were far away from the encampment, Natsu unleashed a _**Lightning Dragon's Roar**_ at Jellal's flying form. The attack hit and Jellal plummeted to the ground.

"Natsu, why are you doing this?" A slightly hurt Jellal emerged from the small crater, much to Natsu's chagrin. He wanted Jellal to suffer.

"Because you took the love of my life away from me." Natsu flew towards Jellal, fists engulfed in a green flame. Jellal dodged Natsu's right hook and then barely caught the back kick Natsu sent. Seeing that Jellal has his leg, Natsu backflipped and consequently kicked Jellal at the chin. When he landed, Natsu tackled Jellal with the use of the _**Spirit Dragon King's Sword Horn**_. They went flying into a tree, and Natsu immediately straddled Jellal with his knees on his arms.

'_Break his fingers, dislocate his shoulder, fracture his skull, drain his magic container. All the different ways you can hurt this man excites me._' END mused in his mind. The ideas Natsu gained from his rambling caused him to gain a sadistic grin, effectively scaring Jellal.

"_**Crystal Dragon Queen's Binds.**_" Purple crystals sprouted from his crystal encrusted arms and began to wrap around his hands, then he gripped Jellal's legs and crystals began to wrap around his legs. Finally, Natsu covered Jellal's mouth with a crystal hand and then Jellal's entire lower face became covered in crystals.

"Let's have a little fun Jellal. What say you?"

* * *

_PRESENT_

"There, finished." Wendy said to Erza as she finished putting on the bandages over Erza's wound.

"Thanks Wendy." She gently touched her bandaged wound before lying down on the bed again. "I'm alright now, you may leave. I need some sleep."

"Okay Erza. If you need anything -"

"Call you, I understand." Erza interrupted Wendy then turned her head away from the bluenette, waiting until she left. When she heard the _*click*_ signifying that she had left her dorm, she let her tears flow once more. Memories kept on flowing into her mind, assaulting her with guilt over and over again to the point that she couldn't help but sob to herself until she became too tired to cry and fall asleep. Unbeknownst to her, Wendy was listening through the door and she felt terrible to be unable to do anything to ease Erza's turmoil. When she heard her crying stop, she turned around and began to walk away to eat something. That was the plan until she bumped into Mira.

"Mira? What are you doing here?" The barmaid giggled before giving her a sandwich from a small bag she was carrying.

"I was going to give you that since you tend to forget about yourself when the well-being of others is on the line. You're just like Natsu, you know? If your hair colour was pink, I actually would've thought that you were his sister." Wendy blushed at the comparison before frowning.

"How is he?" Mira lost her smile and her eyes lost focus.

"He is still in stable condition, but….." Wendy watched at her, taking note of her body language. Her right arm grabbed her left elbow and began to rub it. She was biting her lower lip ever so slightly. Mira's body language hinted that this was not going to be nice. Mira then murmured something so quietly that Wendy's ears couldn't pick it up.

"I'm sorry Mira, could you repeat that?"

"Porlyusica said that there is a chance that Natsu might suffer some permanent damage in his magical container and he may not wake up ever again." Wendy's breath hitched at the news. This was horrible, scratch that, this would be equivalent to Armageddon when Erza hears about this.

"What did she mean that Natsu's magical container gaining some permanent damage?"

"There was a range on how bad the damage would be, she said. It could be as mild as Natsu's magic container shrinking or as serious as him being unable to use magic anymore. She isn't certain, Natsu drained too much magic in a short amount of time. Porlyusica even stated that he's lucky that he's still alive."

"Oh dear, what about the others? How are they holding up?"

"Most of the dragon slayers are healed by now. Gajeel still needs to recover from his concussion, he can barely keep his balance for more than an hour. The person who might take the longest to recover aside from Natsu is Jellal." Mira answered. When the fighting between Natsu and Jellal ceased, Makarov offered to give Crime Sorciere a sanctuary while Jellal was recovering.

'_I still can't believe Natsu lost control like that. I mean last time someone took Erza away from him, he was still able to think rationally. What was so different this time? Was it because it seemed deliberate on Erza's part? He couldn't possibly think that she was doing it on purpose._' Wendy thought to herself. Apparently, she spaced out and Mira was trying to get her attention.

"WENDY!" Mira exclaimed loudly into the young dragon slayer's ear, but not loud enough to give her a ruptured eardrum.

"Y-Y-Yes?"

"As I was saying, you can take a break now. It's my shift on watching over Erza."

"Oh, okay. Thank you Mira-san." Wendy walked away, heading towards the guild. She needed to get to the bottom of this. Meanwhile, Mira was stuck in her own thoughts regarding the situation.

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

"**MMMMPPHHH!**" Jellal's voice was muffled by the crystal as he yelled in pain while Natsu dug a burning finger into his shoulder. Jellal tried to arch his back, but Natsu was sitting on his chest, enjoying the pain he was inflicting on the ex-wizard saint. As soon as he thought that Natsu was never going to stop, the dragon slayer lifted his finger away to admire his handiwork. There was a small indent of a finger on Jellal's clothes, the edges were singed and when Natsu tried to pull that article of clothing away, the indent stuck to its spot meaning that the cloth was stuck to Jellal's skin. Good, very good.

Jellal was now breathing very heavily, his vision blurry and his left shoulder was sending massive jolts of pain to his brain. He wasn't a stranger to pain for he remembers the beating he received from Natsu all those years ago. His eyes widened when Natsu pulled out a large needle from his pants. Jellal let out another muffled scream of pain when Natsu stabbed his other shoulder. Just as he regained his bearings, Natsu channeled his Lightning Dragon Slayer magic through the needle, causing Jellal's nerves to overload. Ladies and Gents, Natsu has just made a dragon slayer powered taser. He clenched his hands underneath the crystal bindings so hard that his fingers cut through skin and drew blood.

Natsu, feeling bored after watching Jellal struggle as he tried to mitigate the pain of being 'tased' by thrashing around, stood up and walked to the side. Jellal sighed in relief before screaming in pain once more when Natsu stomped on his right arm. "You won't be needing this, correct?" He stomped his arm again, before grinding it under his boot. "Because I would _hate_ to injure your arm if you required it still." Natsu stomped it one last time, effectively breaking the arm before walking away with a somber look on his face.

"I still can't believe it you know… Erza choosing you over me… A f****** fugitive who hurt her and made her cry seven years ago over the man who saved her from you, who supported her during her darkest hours, the one who dedicated his life to seeing her happy. Why Jellal, explain it to me…. **WHY!? WHYYYY?!**" Natsu was breathing harshly after his little soliloquy. Jellal simply stared at Natsu with apologetic eyes that pretty much said '_I'm sorry, I don't know!_' Natsu then got very infuriated and destroyed the crystal surrounding his mouth. "**TELL MEE!**"

"I'm sorry Natsu, I don't know." This answer only enraged Natsu even further. The rage he was feeling was overflowing and decided to vent it by punching Jellal. Natsu became relentless as he broke Jellal's nose after punch number twenty-three and he didn't want to stop. Instead, the sight of Jellal's bleeding nose riled him up even more. Before he could deal anymore damage, he was struck off by a familiar green crystal orb.

"Jellal, are you okay?" Meredy asked Jellal as she knelt right beside him. Jellal didn't give her an answer, greatly worrying her. Ultear used her Arc of Time magic to make the crystals disappear, but she kept her sights on Natsu. "Ultear, he's barely conscious."

"Natsu explain yourself." Ultear barked, her eyes curious and furious at the same time. However, Natsu ignored her, he was having a conversation of his own.

"What should we do with them?" Natsu quietly asked END.

'_Kill them, they're protecting your true target. The ones who protect him support him. Do you want him to get away and escape his punishment?'_

"No, I won't let him go away, but I won't kill them. There is also a change of plan, Jellal must die." Natsu ran towards Jellal, but Ultear got in the way. Just as he expected.

"Natsu, stop or I will have to use force." Natsu simply smirked at her before unleashing a _**Fire Dragon King's Roar.**_ Ultear moved out of the way and summoned more orbs.

"_**Flash Forward!**_" The orbs she summoned dashed with amazing speed towards Natsu. The dragon slayer simply activated his _**Adamantine Dragon King's Scales**_, causing the orbs to harmlessly break on his body. Then, Natsu jumped to his right to dodge a set of teal energy swords, courtesy of Meredy's Maguilty Sodom. His eyes widened when the swords altered their trajectory to hit him. Not having enough time to dodge the blades, he crossed his arms in attempt to block the swords.

"**GAAAAAH!**" The swords passed through Natsu and immense pain racked throughout his body. He knelt down, breathing hard trying to regain his bearings. Suddenly the ground underneath him began to lower. He saw Ultear casting _**Flash Forward**_ on the ground underneath him, causing the soil to erode rapidly. Natsu tried to jump away, but as soon as he got out of the hole, he was assaulted by another set of energy swords. His frustration grew as every attempt to escape the hole was foiled by Ultear and Meredy. He even attempted to burrow out, but as soon as he resurfaced, Ultear made another hole and Meredy attacked him again.

"**THAT IS THE LAST STRAW!**" Natsu bellowed from his hole, clearly pissed. "_**Dragon's Heart: Stage I!"**_ He burst out of the hole with amazing speed, before Ultear and Meredy could recover from the suffocating magic pressure. While he was mid-air, he gathered magic in his hands and compressed it into a ball. The ball was only the size of the baseball, but tongues of fire constantly escaped it and licked Natsu's palm.

"_**Fire Dragon King's Blazing Inferno!**_" He threw the ball and as it got closer to it's target, it expanded until the ball was roughly six feet in diameter. Before it hit Ultear and Meredy, a slurping noise was heard and the ball redirected to the mouthes of a familiar orangette dragonslayer and his sister.

"Hansuke, what is the meaning of this?!" Natsu was surprised that Hansuke and Maria saved those _criminals_ by intercepting his attack and them showing up without their scent being picked up.

"Well Natsu-sama, since Fire Dragon Slayer magic is the base magic for all Fire Dragon Slayer variants, every kind of fire dragon slayer can eat your attacks and benefit from it. It also works the other way around." If Natsu was in his right mind at the moment, he would've been beaming with pride at Hansuke's little stroke of genius. Unfortunately he wasn't.

"**THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!**" The Terranos siblings flinched at his furious voice then they adopted a serious look on their faces..

"To protect them from you Natsu-sama." Maria answered. "And to figure out why you're trying to kill them."

"Hehehehe…...Hahahahahhaha..**HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" **Natsu began to laugh as if he was insane, and he is. His sanity was slowly decreasing with every passing minute after Erza had cheated on him. "If you want to know why so badly, then I'll tell you. They're simply nuisances depriving me of a truly satisfying kill, thus I have to kill them so that I can finally kill him."

"Kill who? Jellal? Why would you want to kill him?" Maria asked. Natsu grinned at her rather manically.

"That's a seeecret~." Natsu teasingly answered. "Now please, leave before I will also consider you as nuisances that need to be taken care of." His voice gained a very dark tone as he threatened the both of them.

"I'm sorry Natsu-sama, but we have to refuse. What you are doing contradicts your teachings of valuing human life and refraining from taking the lives of others. Therefore we need to stop you from committing such acts." Maria stated, but there was a waver in her voice. She didn't want to hurt her mentor and the pain from the Second Origin process was still present.

"So you two will stay true to my teachings and risk your life rather than leaving me be and leaving with your lives. I must say, I should feel proud of you, but it infuriates me that my own students would turn against me!" Natsu raged, his magic flaring. "_**Ice Dragon Queen's Roar!**_"

The four mages dodged the torrent of ice and adopted battle stances. Natsu ran towards Maria and was hellbent of disposing her. He threw a punch at the young redhead, but she parried it and then counterattacked with a _**Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen's Purifying Fist**_. Natsu moved his head to the right, barely dodging the fist, before kicking his student in the gut. Just as his foot connected, Natsu felt someone kick him at the back of his knees. His knees buckled underneath him and then someone put him in a headlock. Judging by the scent, the perpetrator was none other than Hansuke Terranos.

"Natsu, stop this petty act of revenge. You're better than this." Hansuke pleaded to his teacher, but the stubborn pinkette was not listening. Natsu started to squirm underneath Hansuke's death grip, causing Hansuke to tighten his grip even more. Just as Natsu's vision began to darken, he wildly snapped his head backwards and hit Hansuke right on the nose.

"_**Lightning Drive!**_" Natsu's body started to emit electricity, forks of lightning occasionally escaping his wild pink hair. He dove at Hansuke, using his lightning as a form of thrust. They soon hit a nearby tree, breaking it. Natsu punched Hansuke at the gut, then he slammed his fist behind his head. The orangette doubled over, giving Natsu a perfect opening for an uppercut. The uppercut hit Hansuke so hard that he went flying before hitting the ground pretty hard. Hansuke was paralyzed from the previous lightning enhanced blows to do anything when Natsu turned him over to his stomach, grabbed him by the hair and proceeded to slam his face on the earth.

"**GAAAH!**" Natsu was caught by surprise when another one of those energy swords hit him. He stopped beating the hell out of Hansuke to face Meredy, who has been pissing him off with her magic ever since the fighting began. With an animalistic growl, he dashed to her as fast as lightning. She barely reacted to dodge the blow when Natsu reappeared in front of her. But she didn't see his other arm hook her waist and before she knew it, Natsu was behind her with both of his arms on her waist and performed a flawless German Suplex. Meredy's breath got knocked out of her and her vision was blurry from the impact. She did feel Natsu grip her leg tightly and then she felt weightless for a few seconds. Those moments of weightlessness ended when she crashed into a few trees.

"_**Flash Forward!**_" A very large amount of those orbs began to crash to Natsu. He felt his pain sensors overload due to the nonstop assault of high speed orbs. He flared his magic, causing some bolts of lightning to escape his body, destroying some of the orbs and giving him some breathing room. He began to look around for the caster of this spell, only to be met with more crystal balls blocking his line of sight. Using his sense of smell to look for his target, Natsu concentrated some magic at small point on his body and then let out a small bolt of lightning about eighty-three degrees to his right. A scream and the balls falling to the ground was sign that he hit his target spot on. He slowly walked towards his paralysed target, enjoying the small tints of fear he saw in her eyes. Ultear on the other hand was panicking. She couldn't move her body and the smile Natsu was giving her suggested that she was going to be in a lot of pain.

"_**Lightning Dragon King's Claw!**_" Natsu lifted his leg up high, and then brought it down on Ultear's paralysed body. The lightning enhanced kick made Ultear cough up saliva and blood. Natsu was about to kick her again when he was interrupted by a familiar torrent of white fire. Maria appeared to his right, landing a good right hook to his face. He stumbled back, caught completely by surprise, giving Maria an opportunity to grab him by the neck.

"_**Heavenly Fire Dragon Queen's Grip Strike!**_" Natsu was engulfed in white flames, but Maria wasn't that it was enough. She dove through the flames, grabbed Natsu and slammed him to the ground. Immediately straddling him, she began to punch Natsu over and over in the face with magic enhanced fists. "Natsu-sama, please yield!" She begged him.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'LL YIELD WHEN JELLAL IS DEAD!**" Natsu yelled back with a sick smile on his face, which looked creepy when his teeth were stained from blood. Maria reluctantly raised both fists and slammed them down on his face as if she was holding a hammer. A crater was formed under Natsu's head due to the force of the blow. She did this repeatedly, doing her best to ignore the blood pouring from a head wound, until Natsu stopped moving. Maria got up shakily, her actions plaguing her with guilt and remorse. Her eyes were leaking tears as she replayed in her mind that she probably killed the man who was like a father to her. A hand on her shoulder made her yelp and when she turned around she saw the sad eyes of her brother. Not knowing what to do, she hugged him tight and silently wept.

* * *

_PRESENT_

"Wendy….." Mira heard Erza's hoarse voice from behind the door. She went in and walked towards Erza's bed, where the occupant was waiting patiently for her. "Hello Mira, I take that it's your shift."

"Yup." Mira cheerily answered but in the inside she worries greatly for her frenemy. This was the worst condition she has ever seen Erza in since Natsu had been proclaimed dead on Tenrou Island. "How may I help you?" Mira politely asked. She didn't need an answer because Erza's stomach grumbled rather loudly. On any other day, Erza would've been blushing furiously while Mira would giggle at her embarrassment but today Erza simply remained silent and so did Mira.

Thankful for her foresight, Mira took out another sandwich from her bag and handed it to Erza. She slowly took it and ate it at even a slower pace. Erza mumbled a quick thank you when she finished and then lied back down. "How are they?"

Mira was caught off guard by Erza's sudden question. "Th-They're recovering quickly." Mira stuttered. "Jellal still has a few broken bones, Gajeel still suffers from a concussion and Natsu's still in a coma."

"I want to see them." Erza whispered. Mira's eyes widened at her request.

"Erza, I'm sorry but you can't. You are still recovering from your injuries, and everyone who was there on that day is still hostile towards you. Especially Happy, the Terranos siblings, and Levy." She reasoned with the red head.

"I don't care." She firmly said. Reasoning with her won't stop her once she has her mind set on something. Mira fears on what the others would do to her when she shows her face once again. "If you're not going to help me, I'll go there myself." Erza then threw her legs to the side and weakly stood up. She began to dress up, albeit slowly because she was still very weak. Erza had the most difficulty putting on her skirt, socks and boots for every time she bent down, her stomach injury stung. Taking a cane that Makarov gave her on his last visit, she began to walk towards the door.

"Erza wait!" Mira exclaimed. She was not going to let her walk all the way to the guild building alone with injuries and unable to protect herself from the others. "I'll come with you."

"Thank you Mira." Erza's lips formed a smile. The first genuine smile that she has seen for two weeks. "This means a lot to me."

* * *

_A FEW MINUTES AFTER NATSU'S FIGHT_

Ultear, Meredy, Jellal and Hansuke were comforting a depressed Maria. Even though they have told her that Natsu was just unconscious, Maria still felt horrible for hurting Natsu to that extent.

"Ugh." They snapped their heads up to see a handcuffed Natsu waking up. "Damn Maria, you have gotten stronger." He chuckled to himself before staring at them with hateful eyes. "Although, knocking me unconscious will only delay the inevitable, Jellal will still die by my hands."

"Natsu, why are you acting this way? What has Jellal done to you to push you to break your own rules?" Maria pleaded to him. Natsu answered by growling much like a dragon.

"**NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!**" He began to pull his cuffs apart, slowly breaking them. However, Ultear was casting her Arc of Time, so the cuffs were repairing themselves much faster than him breaking them. He roared in frustration as he pulled them with more power, slightly speeding up the process. In a final burst of strength, he ripped the cuffs apart, breaking them. Just as he freed himself, he tackled Jellal. They went flying through a couple of trees before stopping on the cold dirt underneath.

"Natsu, I'm sorry…." Jellal began but he was silenced with a fist to the face.

"**SHUT UP! JUST DIE!**" Natsu pulled back his fist and then grabbed Jellal's face with a green flame coated hand.

"_**Spirit Dragon King's Siphon!**_" Jellal began to scream in pain as Natsu drained his magic. All the while Natsu was wearing a sick grin akin to Zancrow. Once again, Natsu was interrupted by his own students, whom have kicked him towards a tree. The moment his back hit the tree, two pillars of iron hit him on the shoulders to pin him on place. Natsu squirmed, trying to get out, as the owners of the pillars of iron attempted to make sense of the situation.

"Salamander, calm down. What is going on?" Gajeel asked Crime Sorciere and the Terranoses.

"I don't know." Hansuke replied. "Natsu just seemed to be out for Jellal's blood and is pretty much going to kill anyone who stands in his way."

'_This sounds familiar..._' Gajeel thought, the gears in his head turning at max speed. Suddenly his body felt like it's overloading with pain. He barely made his head turn to the right to see that Levy was also in the same situation. Turning to face Natsu, he saw that the pinkette was channeling Lightning Dragon Slayer magic through their iron pillars, turning them into lightning rods. In sync, they pulled away, making Natsu fall to the ground.

"**NATSU STOP THIS**!" Ultear yelled at the dragonslayer. At the same moment the other 'victims' of the Second Origin process appeared from the forest. All shocked to see Natsu in such a frenzied state. "All of you listen. Natsu is out of control, he's trying to kill Jellal for reasons unknown and I need your help to subdue him." They all reluctantly agreed, for they were going to hurt their dear friend and because their bodies still hurt like hell. They only happened to show up here after a burst of magic was felt from the camp.

"All of you against me...Hehehe. Hardly seems like a fair fight. Oi Gajeel, you know what's more dangerous than a healthy dragon?" He gave the aforementioned iron dragon slayer some time to think about the seemingly random question. Natsu was disappointed when Gajeel shrugged his shoulders.

"An injured and cornered dragon… _**Dragon's Heart: Stage II!**_" An orange shockwave erupted from Natsu as he activated one of the most powerful spells in his arsenal. "**RAAAAAAAGH!**" He began to scream in pain as his body slowly turned to that of a dragon's. His hands' nails elongated, his canines elongated even more, a tail sprouted from the small of his back and his body was covered in scales.

"_**Forbidden Elemental Dragon Arts: Armageddon!**_" A small white ball appeared from Natsu's hand. He threw it at his opponents and a massive explosion of elements occurred. The wind came first, knocking people off of their feet and giving them cuts from hidden blades in the gusts. Then the water, effectively soaking everyone in freezing liquid and cutting them even further with pressurized jets of water. Then came the lightning, shocking everyone except for Laxus. The earth buried them neck deep and the fire caused a massive explosion. That's what would've happened, but they weren't harmed for Levy created a large wall of earth to intercept and wrap around the ball of boom. "Most impressive, Levy."

His ears picked up movement from both sides. Looking both ways, he saw Mira in her Satan Soul to his left and Laxus to his right. Natsu held up his hands and caught both of their possibly devastating, magically enhanced punches as if a kid was hitting him. Gripping their hands hard, He pulled them and caused their heads to bash against each other. He then leaned backwards to dodge a flying kick from Gray. Grabbing his rival by the leg, he slammed him to the ground then punched him really hard at his solar plexus. A bright light to his right caught his attention and when he turned to check it out, he barely blocked Loke's punch. An explosion of light erupted from Loke's fist and Natsu was sent flying into a tree.

"_**Fire Dragon King's Roar!**_" Loke put his arms up to block the incoming fire. When the attack ended Loke's suit was singed at the edges, his arms were burnt, and he was having trouble breathing. From behind Loke came two Gajeels, one of which was Gemini. Both of them began to rain blows upon blows on Natsu with almost mechanical precision and speed, but Natsu was having the time of his life as he dodged or parried their attacks. Gajeel (Gemini) kicked low, with his leg aimed at Natsu's knees while the other Gajeel kicked at Natsu's head. The pinkette simply jumped over Gemini-Gajeel's kick while catching the other's. When he landed, he made extra sure that he landed on the spirit's knees to break them. He pushed the real Gajeel's leg away before delivering his own kick to the face.

Hansuke and Maria attacked Natsu from behind and the front, hoping that he'll only choose to block one. Their underestimation of Natsu's skill cost them as Natsu jumped backwards and kicked Maria at the back. The siblings crashed into each other and could defend themselves when Natsu threw a _**Spirit Fire Dragon King's Flare **_towards them, a large ball of Spirit Fire that could possibly kill your everyday mage three times over. Fortunately for them, Wendy redirected the ball of fire's trajectory using her Sky Dragon Slayer Magic. After that endeavour, Wendy launched herself at her figurative older brother. Tears threatened to leak out of her eyes as she attacked him and he looked like he didn't want to back down.

"_**Double Layered Magic: Typhoon of Elemental Dragons!**_" Two magic seals appeared on her outstretched arms, a Sky Dragon Slayer magic seal behind a water Dragon King Slayer magic seal. A twister of wind and water erupter from the magic seals and made way towards Natsu, who smirked at Wendy's showcase of power.

"_**Lightning Dragon King's Roar!"**_ Natsu's attack encountered Wendy's and they were at an impasse for a few moments. That was until Wendy felt the pain from the Second Origin process catching up to her, making her falter and giving Natsu the upper hand. When his attack overpowered hers, the lightning struck Wendy and effectively knocked her out.

"_**Regulus Impact!**_" Loke punched Natsu from behind while releasing his spell. The pinkette was launched into the air with a beam of light propelling him further up. When Natsu reached a certain altitude, the beam of light exploded. Everyone let out a breath they were holding in as Natsu's body plummeted to the ground. All of them except Lucy and Carla, who stayed to watch over an unconscious Wendy and injured Jellal, went to the crash site to assess Natsu's condition. They were surprised when they found the crater empty.

"Peek-a-boo!" Natsu whispered to Ultear and before she knew it, her vision blackened after a powerful blow to the back of the head. The mages turned around as they heard Ultear's body crumple to the ground. Immediately after, Natsu lunged at Meredy with his fists engulfed in green fire. She barely had time to summon a couple of energy swords before Natsu's fists connected with her abdomen. The blow wasn't as hard as she thought, but the sensation of her magic being drained made her scream.

"_**Lightning Dragon King's Grip Strike!**_" Laxus latched onto Natsu from behind with both hands and activated his spell.

"**AAAAGH!**" Natsu yelled in pain. When Laxus' attack ended, Natsu slumped forwards. Gajeel checked out if he was out cold, but he was met with an eerie grin from Natsu. "Just kidding." Natsu elbowed Laxus and the moment the blonde let go of him, he punched Gajeel in the gut. Afterwards, Natsu punched Gajeel in the face before grabbing him by his hair and buried his head in the dirt. Laxus tried to kick Natsu at his ribs, but his leg got caught by the pinkette. Said pinkette swooped his legs from underneath him and when he landed, he was met with a knee to the nose.

"_**Beast Soul: Weretiger!**_" Elfman, in his beast form, gained a yellow aura and threw a punch at Natsu. Even with his speed, Natsu still caught Elfman's fist and twisted the hand painfully. The male Strauss yelled in pain as he felt his wrist get dislocated. Natsu let go of Elfman's fist and then kneed the giant at his stomach, causing him to bend over. Elfman looked up just in time to see Natsu strike him down with both hands before everything turned black.

"Elfman!" Mira and Lisanna stared at their brother's unmoving body before shifting their gazes to Natsu, who was gesturing them to attack. Mira immediately lunged at him with hateful eyes while Lisanna hesitated, she couldn't bring herself to attack her childhood friend. That hesitation was a perfect opening for a half-crazed Natsu. Mira's heart skipped a beat when Natsu disappeared from in front of her and reappeared behind Lisanna. Hansuke's warning repeated in her head as she watched Natsu lift his hand up.

"**LISANNA!**" The youngest Strauss sibling didn't even react to Mira's voice for she was already falling by the time it reached her. "**DAMN YOU, NATSU!**" Mira transformed into her Halphas form and attacked Natsu with fury clouding her judgement. Using what she had learned from Lee Sin, Mira threw punches aimed at specific points on Natsu's body that would damage him the most. Much to her frustration and anger, her opponent was dodging and blocking her blows rather gracefully. When her assault was over, Natsu was still standing and almost unscathed (a few scales were missing here and there) while Mira was panting hard.

"**GACK!**" Mira spat out saliva as Natsu punched her in the stomach. Again and again until she collapsed from the pain. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out the petite figure of Levy pushing Natsu away from her. "Thank you." She whispered to Levy before blacking out.

"Natsu, you have to stop these meaningless acts of violence." Freed scolded the dragon slayer. The Raijinshuu were the 'healthiest' amongst all of the people present for they never took part in the Second Origin retrieval process, but they never left for they wanted to remain near Laxus. Anyways, Freed regretted scolding Natsu a moment later when the dragon slayer's eyes - the right was red and the left was gold and they were both slit like that of a reptile - bore into his own with anger very evident.

"Meaningless acts of violence?" He chuckled softly before continuing. "That's kind of funny considering that you attacked your guildmates and threatened the safety of civilians when Laxus told you so. What I am doing may be an act of violence, but it is not meaningless. No, far from it. I have a purpose and I intend to fulfil it."

"And that purpose is murder, Natsu. Can you really live on with the guilt of forcefully taking someone's life from them?" Levy asked, trying to reason with her friend.

"As long as it's Jellal that I kill, I can stomach the despicable act. All of you on the other hand, have the benefit of 'innocence' even if you sided with Jellal; thus I don't want to kill you." The bushes behind Natsu were disturbed as out came a sword wielding Gray Fullbuster. Natsu sidestepped the sword, then grabbed Gray by the wrist to burn it. When he dropped his sword, Natsu punched Gray underneath the elbow, breaking it. The ice make mage dropped to his knees as he screamed in pain, shutting up only when Natsu kicked him in the face to knock him out.

"**GRAY-SAMA!**" A horrified Juvia ran out from behind the Raijinshuu. "_**Water Nebula!**_" Eight massive tendrils of highly pressurized water appeared from behind Juvia. Said tendrils flew towards Natsu at high speeds, only for them to evaporate within a foot of Natsu. This pissed off Juvia.

"_**Sierra!**_" Juvia rushed towards Natsu in the form of water. When she got close enough, she reverted back in human form to kick Natsu at the jaw. Surprisingly, Natsu didn't attempt to dodge or block the incoming blow. However, when Juvia's foot connected with Natsu's jaw, an electrical current passed through her water body and knocked her flat on the ground.

"Your loyalty to Gray is amazing, Juvia-chan. I wish that Erza was the same." Natsu sadly whispered to the water mage before knocking Juvia out with a lightning enhanced blow to the head. However, Levy heard the entire thing.

'_What did he mean by that? Did Erza cheat on him?_' Then she noticed that Natsu's mating mark was gone, confirming her suspicions. '_Oh My God, this is bad. This is __**really**_ _bad, I have to save Jellal before Natsu kills him._ _He may be angry right now, but I know he'll regret it for the rest of his life.'_

"My babies, restrain Natsu!" Bickslow ordered his dolls.

"Restrain! Restrain!" His dolls mimicked. The dolls began to encircle Natsu, spinning at high velocities. When they reached their desired speed, they began to glow green.

"_**Prison Formation!**_" Green chains erupted from the dolls and wrapped around Natsu. When the dragonslayer was completely wrapped, the dolls dove to the ground, anchoring themselves so that Natsu won't be able to move. As Natsu struggled in his bonds, which were resistant to all forms of magic, Evergreen took off her glasses and used her stone eyes magic on him.

"**DAMN YOU!**" Were Natsu's final words before he turned into a stone statue. Everyone present (and conscious) relaxed when Natsu was turned into stone. Suddenly, the stone started to to crack and before long the statue exploded, showering everyone with stone shrapnel. In the place of the stone statue was a laughing Natsu.

"I have to say Bickslow, these chains are amazing. I had a pretty hard time breaking out of these, but alas all things break one way or another." Natsu pushed his arms out and broke the chains that bound him. While the Fairy Tail mages were still recovering from shock, Natsu punched Bickslow and Freed in the gut before bashing their heads together. Evergreen was the first one to break out of shock as she saw her teammates get beaten by Natsu.

"_**Fairy Magic: Machine Gun Leprechaun!**_" Tiny beams of magic hit Natsu, but he wasn't affected. After he was certain that Bickslow and Freed were unconscious, he teleported behind Evergreen and put her in a headlock.

"How… did you….. dispel my…. Stone Eyes?" Evergreen asked as she was being deprived of oxygen.

"I am immune to illusory and eye magic, thanks to my new eyes. If powerful enough I may succumb to it, but the effects only last for a few seconds before it dispells." Natsu explained to her before tightening his grip, causing her airways to constrict. A few seconds later, she slumped lifelessly like a puppet with its strings cut. Natsu dropped her and the only sign that she was still with the living was the rising and falling of her chest.

"_**Iron Dragon's Club!**_" A pillar of iron extended from Levy and hit Natsu in the gut. She retracted the pillar immediately after, not wanting to get electrocuted by Natsu again. "Natsu, what did Erza do?" The question seemed pretty vague, but Natsu knew what she was asking about.

"She kissed Jellal, and apparently enjoyed it." He answered and growled afterwards. It made Levy flinch and grit her teeth. Erza, after everything Natsu has done for her, still chose Jellal. She finally understood why Natsu was acting like this, and she was tempted to let him kill Jellal. But she can't, it was an unwritten Fairy Tail rule - no, Law - that killing is prohibited and assisting Natsu with the murder of Jellal is something that would stain the name of Fairy Tail. That doesn't mean that Levy won't have a long conversation with Erza after this.

"I'm sorry. If it helps, I would've let you kill Jellal in other circumstances, but as a Fairy Tail mage I can't let you do this." Levy said Natsu in a comforting voice. To her relief, Natsu relaxed a bit and gave her a thankful yet sad smile. "So please Natsu, for the last time, stand down. Let us deal with Jellal."

"I want to Levy, but this has gone too far for Jellal. A personal vendetta of mine since Oracion Seis needs to be fulfilled and it is not something so easily relinquished." He saw Meredy begin to stand back up and the dragon slayers gathering beside Levy.

"My condolences Natsu." Gajeel empathetically stated, shocking the older members of Fairy Tail since he never called Natsu by name. "As much as I want to side with you I can't. When the old man took me in, he agreed to convince the council to drop all of the charges put on me when I was in Phantom as long as I make sure that I won't revert back to my old ways. Helping you, would be pretty much breaking my promise and I owe him so much for giving me a second chance."

"So in retrospect, my own students and everyone who has known me for a long time deny me what could be my final wish in order to maintain Fairy Tail's reputation and image as well as keep promises." He said, venom overflowing in his voice. "All of you disappoint me…. _**Secret Dragon Slayer Art: Fists of Fury!**_" Reddish orange flames surrounded Natsu's hands, dancing about until they solidified into transparent dragon heads.

"S***!" Was all Gajeel Redfox said before he got hit by Natsu. He knew that the dragon slayer art Natsu has just used was very powerful, but he was still surprised on how far he was sent flying.

"_**Earth Dragon King's Claw!**_" Levy's foot transformed into a miniature dragon's foot with earthly scales as she performed a spinning axe kick. Natsu caught her foot in between a dragon head's teeth (the dragon heads open their mouths when Natsu opens his hands) and squeezed hard. The dragon's teeth dug into Levy's lower leg, penetrating the scales and drawing blood. Levy yelped in pain as the grip intensified. She tried to punch him in the face, but her fist was caught by Natsu.

"**AAAAAH!**" Levy screamed in pain as Natsu's dragon head's teeth dug into her skin and began to crush her bones. She tried to pull away, but it only made the pain worse and gave her bigger lacerations.

"**LET GO OF HER!**" Laxus yelled, getting Natsu's attention. "_**Lightning Dragon King's Breakdown Fist!**_" He punched the air, releasing a gigantic bolt of lightning shaped like a fist towards Natsu. The pinkette thought quickly as he angled his body so that Levy would intercept the magical attack. Just before the attack hit however, Levy activated her _**Earth Dragon King's Scales**_ so that the lightning based attack will be nullified when hitting its opposite element. A flash of lightning appeared behind Natsu and from it came Laxus.

Sensing Laxus' presence behind him, Natsu had no choice but to let go of Levy in order to dodge his attack. When she landed, she hissed in pain as she used her injured hand to soften her landing somewhat. While Laxus and Natsu were duking it out, Maria went to Levy to examine her injuries. "Levy, can you move your fingers?"

"No, my entire hand feels numb." To prove her point, Levy held up her hand and tried to move her fingers.

"You've got a broken wrist, Levy. Give it, I'll try to fix it." Levy stretched out her arm so that Maria could hold her near the wrist. She winced as her broken wrist began to heal a bit painfully due to the nature of Maria's healing magic, fixing the broken bone as well as healing the lacerations. Meanwhile with Natsu and Laxus, the dragon slayers were trading blows with tremendous force and skill.

The blonde threw a kick at Natsu, who leaned out of the way to dodge it and countered with a punch to the jaw. If he were any other mage, his jaw would've dislocated at a best case scenario, but his dragon slayer characteristics gave him amazing reflexes to barely dodge the blow. However, Laxus wasn't quick enough to notice Natsu kicking his stomach. When his foot connected, Natsu felt a presence behind him. He put up his hands just in time to block Hansuke's kick.

"_**Hellfire Dragon King's Claw!**_" Hansuke's right leg was wrapped in reddish flames. He hooked his left foot on Natsu's arms and performed a spinning axe kick while using Natsu's arms for leverage. The kick hit Natsu perfectly on the crown of his head and the force behind the magically enhanced blow caused Natsu's head to plummet into the cold dirt. After the kick connected, Hansuke retreated and regrouped with Maria and Levy.

"You alright?" He asked Levy, who was shakily getting up after her injuries were healed. She simply gave him a nod while Maria began to breathe slightly heavier from her exertions. "Sis, you need to take it easy."

"I'm fine!" She snapped at him. The stress from fighting Natsu was getting to her and others worrying about her was the last thing she wanted, a trait that she picked up after training with Natsu for quite a while. All three of them froze when they heard Natsu's voice behind them.

"I hope you are." They turned around and crossed their arms for the upcoming attacks. The meager defense did little to mitigate the force when Natsu kicked Maria and Hansuke with his right leg, which was engulfed in green flames. "_**Fire Dragon King's Sword Horn!**_" Natsu's attack brought Levy and himself crashing into a few trees before he stopped when Levy dragged her feet to the ground. Then he kneed her on the chin, with enough force to send her flying into the air. While she was dazed, Natsu jumped up and slammed his fists on her head. At the same moment, Gajeel caught sight of what had just occurred.

"**LEVY!**" He screamed frantically as he watched his mate crash to the ground. Running towards her, his heart clenched when he saw her beaten, bruised and unconscious body. He kneeled beside her, caressing her face and ignored a sympathetic looking Natsu beside him. Even with the bruises, she was still as beautiful as the day he claimed her as his. Gajeel relished in watching the peaceful look on her face amidst the battlefield they have created against Natsu. Filled with unrelenting fury, he decided to channel his rage to the one who has hurt his love. "**YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS SALAMANDER!** _**Second Origin: Release!**_"

Gajeel exploded with magical energy, flattening nearby full grown trees. In fact the surge of magical energy could be felt all the way at the resort, which was a kilometre and a half from their location. Due to the sudden flux of large amounts of magic coursing through his body, Gajeel tapped into Dragon Force. His canines elongated and his body became covered in a mixture of adamantine and iron dragon scales. "Prepare yourself!"

Gajeel ran towards Natsu with amazing speed, jumping when five feet away from him to deliver a punch. Natsu parried the blow, only to receive a kick to the legs to make him fall down. When he landed, he felt a powerful hand take hold of his leg before being flailed about, hitting the ground once in a while. (Avengers Hulk vs Loki). After using Natsu as a makeshift pickaxe, Gajeel threw him into a few trees. When Natsu came to a halt with his fingers dug into the ground, the moment he looked up, Gajeel kneed him in the chin.

"_**Adamantine Dragon King's Jaw!**_" Gajeel's hand turned into a jaw filled with teeth. He grabbed Natsu by the arm and squeezed hard. With Natsu's painful scream, it was safe to assume that the bone was broken or crushed. Natsu lit his other hand on fire and began to punch frantically at Gajeel's hand-jaw-thingy. To Gajeel's surprise, the scales around his hand began to crack from Natsu's blows. Granted, he couldn't feel a thing from any of it thanks to his scales absorbing the force of the blows. When they landed, Natsu swoop Gajeel's feet from underneath him and quickly put his jaw-arm in an arm lock.

Gajeel tried to escape by bending his arm and then wiggling around Natsu's legs. Natsu saw this and increased the pressure in the arm lock, threatening to break his arm, as well increasing the pressure in his grip to break the scales with his dragon heads. Gajeel began to frantically break out because of Natsu gradually increasing the pressure until finally, he broke Black Steel's arm as well as a few bones where Natsu was holding him. "**FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!**"

Natsu was then forced to let go of Gajeel when a bunch of energy swords appeared from the trees. Rolling out of the way, he bumped into a rock and stood up just as the others emerged from the trees. "You okay Gajeel?" Laxus asked.

"He busted up my right arm pretty bad, though he isn't faring any better." Gajeel briefly explained his situation. Immediately after those words left his mouth, Maria began to heal him, although she was very exhausted. Gajeel didn't flinch nor groan as his bones were being repaired by Maria, his mind was so focused on putting down Natsu. The moments of Maria healing Gajeel were spent by the others staring each other down. Then Natsu caught a scent of a familiar Exceed right behind him a little too late.

"Surprise M***********!" Natsu turned to receive a face full of metal from the flat part of a sword. He went flying into a few trees before skidding to a stop and remained unmoving.

"Gihi, good job Lily." Gajeel praised his partner/ex-First division commander of the Edolas Royal Army.

"Sorry it took me a while to get here, I got lost in the forest." Pantherlily explained. Then he heard Natsu's voice as the dragon slayer got up.

"Yeah right, you probably were lost in thought while indulging in a kiwi eating marathon." Natsu's witty remark caused Pantherlily to sweat a bit and avert his gaze from the others.

"P-p-preposterous, I wasn't eating kiwis that I smuggled under Gajeel and Levy's noses." He weakly defended himself, but to no avail because the glare his partner gave him suggested that there will be hell to pay after this whole fiasco is over. The reason why Gajeel was so pissed was because before they left, he and Levy had firmly stated that Pantherlily needed to cut his kiwi addiction so they hid the kiwis under lock and key.

"Alright, your funeral." Natsu shrugged his shoulders. "_**Lightning Dragon King's Roar!**_" Pantherlily jumped out the way, leaving Laxus to intercept the attack. The Exceed warrior swung his sword horizontally, only for his opponent to jump out of the way. The pinkette grabbed Pantherlily's wrists and attempted to disarm the Exceed, but he wouldn't budge so Natsu resorted to elbowing him in the face until his grip on the sword loosened. Before Pantherlily even loosened his grip on his sword, Hansuke punched Natsu in the face. Thankfully Natsu's grip on Pantherlily's wrists was fairly loose or else his hands would've been ripped off.

"_**Hellfire Dragon King's Wing Strike**_!" Red flames appeared from Hansuke's shoulder and extended past his hands, making him look like he has tentacles for arms. He swung his arms together and the tendrils of fire connected onto Natsu's body. The explosion of fire disintegrated trees five feet from the explosion's epicentre and severely burnt all forms of vegetation fourty feet from the epicentre. Most of the mages were lucky that Hansuke's flames received Natsu's flames' qualities of never severely injuring his nakama. Some mages, namely Natsu and a peculiar masked individual that was sneaking about, may receive some burns. However, Natsu's resistance to fire rendered the magic nearly useless, but it was just a distraction.

From the smoke of the explosion, energy swords appeared behind Natsu and hit him square on the back. Natsu yelled in pain as the swords attacked his pain receptors. He kneeled down, gritting his teeth as he smelt a few people surrounding him. Another sword appeared from somewhere and impaled itself on his leg, behind his knee. And another impaled itself on his opposite leg. He looked up, eyes blurry from the pain, and saw blonde hair, black hair, and red hair.

"I'm sorry Natsu." They said in unison, but one look at Natsu's eyes told them that he was still as defiant as ever and will not back down. Cocking back their fists, they were about to land the final blow to knock him out for good until…..

"**RAAAAAAAAAA!**" Natsu released more magic, causing the others surrounding him to be thrown away. The sound of cracking was heard and caused them to make eye contact with him, which revealed that his eyes now had red irises. A sign that he had fully succumbed to his draconic instincts.*

In a burst of incredible speed, he punched Hansuke in the gut with so much force that his student blacked out immediately. When Hansuke fell to the ground, Natsu teleported behind Meredy and flung her to the ground. He punched the poor woman once, twice, thrice in the face without holding back. His nose twitched as he caught the scent of three people behind him. Natsu caught Pantherlily's sword with an open dragon head maw. His sword began to crack from the biting force of the dragon heads. Then he flung the sword in a horizontal motion (with Pantherlily still holding the sword) to hit the other two, which were Laxus and Gajeel. When they landed, Natsu ran to the closest man and picked him up. It was Gajeel. With a sick smile, he headbutted Gajeel and then punched him into the ground. While he was immobile, Natsu began to stomp on his head

His face stomping episode was stopped by Laxus, who tackled him off of Gajeel. Laxus threw a _**Lightning Dragon King's Fist**_ at him, but Natsu caught the hand by the wrist. Then Laxus' arm was brought behind his back as well as the other arm. He felt a foot being firmly planted on his back. His eyes widened when Natsu began to pull on his arms, indicating his objective of breaking his arms. "**AAAAAAAARGH!**"

"**HAHAHAHAHA!**" Natsu laughed manically, relishing in the pain filled screams of Laxus. Once pleased with his handiwork, Natsu let go of Laxus. At that moment, Pantherlily got off the ground and a few figures appeared from the trees. That sight that beheld them scared them greatly. Laxus Dreyar was on the ground, eyes wide and body shaking. He tried to move away from the approaching figure, but to no avail since his arms were broken.

"**Flash before my eyes,**" The figure softly sang, "**Now it's time to die."**

**(I contemplated on ending here… But I love you guys too much to give you a cliffhanger)**

"**NATSU!**" A high, feminine voice reached his ears. The dragon slayer turned his head to face the new voice, but all he saw was dirt as Pantherlily tackled him into the ground from behind. The large Exceed put Natsu's arms in a double arm lock. He simply chuckled at Pantherlily's pathetic attempt to hold him down. Teleporting behind the Exceed, Natsu threw an open hand punch at his back and caused him to go flying at the crowd of spectators/victims.

"Look out!" Happy exclaimed as he saw his friend fly towards them. Transforming into his battle form, he caught Pantherlily in his arms before reverting back to his cute/Exceed form. "Lily!"

"Guys," Pantherlily reverted back into his cute/Exceed form. "That isn't Natsu. Be careful." The others nodded as they faced him. As they watched him, they had to agree to Pantherlily's previous words. That figure may have the body of Natsu, but it wasn't him. The joyful yet serious glint in his eyes is gone. The trademark grin that he sent towards their direction scared them now rather than giving them hope. The grin got even more creepier when Natsu knocked Laxus unconscious with a kick to the face without looking at him. Happy looked around and listed in his mind who was with him: Lucy, Jellal, Lily, the red haired traitor and himself.

They stepped forwards, thinking about dealing with him all at once, when suddenly Jellal put his arm in front of everyone. "Stay back, he wants me and only me. Getting caught up in his vendetta will end with you being in Laxus' state." His arm was pushed away by Lucy.

"He's our nakama, and we intend to help him out every way possible." She argued with the blue haired man. Jellal growled at her.

"At his state of mind, he doesn't care if you're nakama or criminal. You're all his enemies if you get in his way. You saw what he did to the others and they were very close friends of his. So please, let me deal with him alone."

"That's an impossibility, he would never hurt us because subconsciously he knows it's us. And letting you deal with him alone while we watch is insulting. Right Erza? Erza?" Lucy gave the aforementioned mage a worried look. Ever since they met up in the woods, she has been the most unresponsive in their little group. Right now, Erza was staring at the ground guiltily, refusing to meet any of their gazes. As they were arguing, they failed to notice the lovable blue furball flying towards the pinkette.

"Natsu, I know it's you. Lily was lying about you, I'm positive." Happy began a conversation with Natsu, but the only response he got was a grunt from him. "The others never understood your situation, but I do. All you want is to get back at him, ne? To have revenge on Jellal for all the hurt he has put you through. For being the wedge between you and _her._ I won't stop you, he's right there." As much it pained Happy to allow Natsu to kill a man, a forbidden act in both his and in Natsu's eyes, his loyalty to the man and prior knowledge of his pain made him come to this decision. The dragon slayer turned his head to the Exceed and smirked in a thankful manner before lunging at Jellal.

"**Surprise.**" Natsu whispered to Jellal. The people nearby gasped before facing Natsu while Jellal froze in his spot. This was the first time he froze in fear due to a person, but because of his past encounters with the dragon slayer it's not very surprising on why he's scared. Due to his lack of movement, Natsu had an easy time grabbing him by the back of the head and throwing him into a tree.

"Natsu stop it. Please." Lucy said to the man, but he simply ignored her and stalked back to Jellal. In a fit of desperation, she summoned Taurus. "Stop him!" She ordered the cow humanoid, who was more than happy to comply with her wishes.

"MOO! Stop in the name of Lucy-san's nice body!" Lucy floored at the request, but she was a bit proud when Taurus made Natsu stop in his tracks by burying his axe in front of the man. Natsu gave Taurus a hateful glare (which is intimidating as hell with his red eyes) before flaring his magic once more. Sparks of electricity jumped from Natsu's body and shocked the cow-human and the air around him superheated to the point that the axe's blade melted and it's handle spontaneously combusted. When Taurus returned to the Spirit World, Lucy used her Fleuve d'étoiles to try to stop Natsu. The whip managed to wrap around Natsu's waist, but he pulled on the whip and consequently Lucy as well. When she got closer, he lowered his magic for a moment so that he could land a powerful punch to her abdomen before walking away and flaring his magic once more.

"Dammit." Pantherlily muttered. "_**Battle Form!**_" The Exceed drew his sword, which magically returned to him after being thrown by Natsu a while ago, and flew towards Natsu in high speeds. Before he even got fifteen feet from Natsu, the superheated air made him falter and fall. Casting one last glance at the man, who was still walking towards Jellal, Pantherlily fainted due to a heatstroke. When Natsu got close to Jellal, he toned down his magic so that he could pick up the man.

"Go ahead, kill me." Jellal said, sweating profusely from the heat as well as fear. His eyes widened when Natsu shook his head.

"I won't kill you, not yet that is." Natsu spoke in an emotionless tone, grabbing Jellal's arm and clamping down like a vice. Jellal kept his mouth shut to stifle screams of pain from the sensation of his bones being crushed into powder. However, when Natsu yanked his arm and dislocated it from the shoulder, Jellal finally screamed and the dragon slayer's eyes shone in bliss. The demon in Natsu' sub consciousness was enjoying himself greatly at the show. He increased the pressure in Jellal's arm even more to finally crush the obtrusive stick of calcium we call bone.

"Ooo, did that hurt? Sorry." Natsu apologized with false empathy before headbutting Jellal. "_**Adamantine Dragon King's Knuckle!**_" His hands became covered in white adamantine scales, but his knuckles were covered in black adamantine scales. Jellal rode off his previous headache from the headbutt, only to receive multiple new ones from Natsu's merciless beatdown. After he was satisfied at the damage he dealt, Natsu lifted him up and ran him through a dozen trees. Then he lifted Jellal high up and dropped him, back first, on his knee. Tears sprung in Jellal's eyes at the overwhelming pain. He couldn't handle anymore. Two broken arms - one was dislocated from the shoulder -, a couple of broken ribs, a fractured back, a fractured skull, a broken collar bone, cracked pelvis and a bunch of damaged organs.

Natsu then pulled out a familiar looking karambit (holding with the pinky in the finger ring), and lit it on fire. However, the fire was in a most peculiar colour of black and gray with hints of red. "Oh, this isn't God Slayer magic if you're wondering Jellal. But it'll still hurt as much as any other flame, but with a little bonus. Goodbye, bastard." Holding the knife high above his head, Natsu was about to swing it down to end Jellal's life if it wasn't for someone grabbing the arm. Paying no attention on who it must be, for he was so blinded in his rage and bloodlust, Natsu shoved them away and recklessly slashed the perpetrator behind him.

"N-N-Natsu?" His eyes widened when blood began to leak from the wound. Their eyes met and Natsu immediately felt regret on who he has injured, it was the love of his life. Falling over, Erza gazed lazily at the trees, with the warm liquid flowing on her abdomen. Natsu let go of the hideous weapon and knelt beside her.

"Erza, you're going to be fine. It's gonna be alright." For the moment, he forgot what she has done to him. The only thing he cared about was her safety and the guilt hanging over him at what he has done. Taking off his shirt, he placed it on the wound and applied pressure on it.

"I know Natsu, for when I'm with you everything is okay. I'm sorry." Where the last things she said before she closed her eyes. Growing frantic, he checked her pulse, choking back a sob when he still felt it. However, it was faint. Holding her head with his broken arm and the shirt on his left, he began to sob noisily. Then he removed the shirt and began to channel magic in an attempt to stop the bleeding, even though he knew that injuries caused by the black fire negate any form of healing magic. But he didn't care, he just kept on channeling Sky Dragon Queen Slayer Magic mixed with Heavenly Dragon Queen Slayer Magic on the wound until he couldn't use magic anymore.

* * *

_PRESENT_

Erza and Mira were making their way towards the guild hall, occasionally slowing down to a halt due to Erza's injuries. Sometimes people with give them sad looks, but sympathy was not what Erza needed now. She needed to face the others, to face Natsu. For two weeks she was cowering in her home, scared of what the others were going to do to her. How they would all treat her know that she cheated on Natsu. Now however, she has finally mustered up the courage to face them like the Fairy Tail mage she was. In the distance, they saw the guild building and in front of its closed doors was Gray puffing on a cigarette.

"Gray, I thought you quit smoking." Mira said as if it was a question. He simply grunted before puffing it one last time and throwing it away.

"I did, but because of what happened lately, I needed something to calm me down." Gray faced Erza, who was breathing somewhat heavily from her exertions. "You should be at home recovering Erza."

"I will return, after facing the others. Especially the ones most affected by my actions." She replied, her eyes regaining a small fraction of their previous steel. Seeing her with the resolve she used to have, almost made Gray smile. Almost.

"Fine, but don't blame me when Levy goes ballistic on you." He said before opening the guild doors.

* * *

* When dragon slayers succumb to their draconic instincts, their eyes or hair change colour. There are rare occasions of both occurring.

* * *

**Hey guys, check it out a new chapter! This is the longest chapter I have ever written, clocking in at 15 621 words. ~WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW~. The fight scenes were a pain to write and I am currently being hanged upside down in my basement in courtesy of a few angry FT mages. Say hello guys.**

**FT mages: ….**

**Okay, I take it you don't want to talk, that's okay. Laxus, what are you doing that is very sharp - OUCH! Anyway, they are just to remind me to tell you guys that I love you and without you this fic would be drowning in the pits of a toilet. Also, one of my sneak peeks has been fulfilled. So yeah, I am currently in the process of planning my side fic. To those who are curious, I have been watching Police Academy lately and I have noticed that there isn't a single Fairy Tail Police AU fic. So I shall be the first one… Probably not. But that is the main setting of the fic.**

**I will also be doing a poll on Natsu's fate with his coma. You might have a month or two to vote since that's how long I type 10k words with some proper planning and some procrastination.**

* * *

They stood there, processing the information they were given. After all these years, the lives they were living were a lie. One of the people in front of them stepped forward in attempt to alleviate their conflicting feelings.

"Honey..."

"**NO! IT CAN'T BE. YOU'RE -**"

* * *

"Natsu?"

"Hmmmm? Oh Knightwalker, how nice of you to join me! Tell me, how's my Edolas

counterpart? In fact, give me an entire debrief on how life currently is in Edolas.."

"N-N-Natsu?" Her voice broke in sorrow.

* * *

**See you guys in the next chapter: 'The Unforgiven?'**

_**Das2Eazy signing off.**_


	15. The Unforgiven?

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

The moment Gray opened the doors, all eyes were on Erza. There was an ungodly tension in the atmosphere as Erza, Mira and Gray moved towards the bar counter. At the moment the only things that could be heard were their footsteps and the occasional grunt from a mage. Halfway into the guild, Gray broke off from the two of them and walked to where Juvia was sitting (which was near the pillar that she always used to stalk Gray from). When Erza got to the counter, she ordered a glass of water and proceeded to drink it quietly. Then, the doors leading to the infirmary opened and out walked Levy. Erza and Levy locked eyes with each other and all hell broke loose.

With a growl and baring her teeth, the blue haired dragoness stomped towards Erza. "Levy, -" Erza began.

_*smack*_

Levy slapped Erza hard before Erza could formulate her sentence. "What are you doing here?" Levy's voice overflowed with hatred. Before Erza could answer, Levy grabbed her by the collar of her blouse and pushed her into a table and then punched her in the face. "**ANSWER ME!**" She yelled.

"I wanted to visit them." Erza muttered quietly. Her response caused Levy to punch her again.

"That's it?!" Levy exclaimed, furious that Erza would have the balls to visit the man she cheated and the man who she cheated Natsu with. She was about to punch Erza again when said red head spoke.

"There's also another thing I wanted to do." Erza knelt down, and bowed before Levy. "I'm sorry everyone, it was because of my stupidity that Natsu was forced to hurt all of you. I don't expect you to accept my apology so quickly, and that's fine. Forgiveness for me isn't going to be quick, that I am certain of." The guild was silent after Erza's apology. Out of respect, Erza kept her head down until Levy or someone let her raise it. Apparently, Levy wasn't too eager with the apology. With a powerful kick at the chin, Levy caused Erza to go airborne for a few moments before she landed on her back. Not giving Erza any breathing room, Levy straddled her and began to strangle the red head.

"You don't deserve forgiveness for what you have done. In fact, you are 100 years too early to ask for our forgiveness, much earlier to ask Natsu for the same thing. Not after what you did to him." Erza tried to push off Levy, but with Levy sitting on her chest and her weak body it proved to be a difficult task. Some guild members that were there on that day kept quiet and let the entire thing happen while the other members of the guild watched in shock. However, Mira, Cana and Maria rushed to save Erza.

"Levy, let go!" The three of them latched onto Levy's arms and tried to pull her away. The dragoness' grip proved to be worse than a vice grip and nothing seemed to be able to make her let go.

"You were supposed to die on that day, but Natsu loved you too much to let you die. His magic was nearly depleted after the fighting, but he wasted it all in vain attempts to heal your sorry body. **YOU DON'T DESERVE HIS LOVE!**" Levy yelled. They were about to resort to magic in order to pry her off of Erza, when suddenly….

"**LEVY!**" A powerful and familiar voice reached Levy's ears and it forced her to let go of Erza's neck. The redhead took in a greedy amount of oxygen and choked a bit when Levy let go of her. She turned her head to face the owner of her saviour's voice and was surprised when she saw Gajeel leaning on the door frame of the infirmary. And Levy was just as surprised as her.

"Gajeel-kun, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at bed recovering." Levy fussed as she made her way to her mate and was about to drag him back into the infirmary. Meanwhile, Erza was being helped up by Mira and Cana; Maria walked back to where she previously sat the moment Levy let go.

"_*sigh*_ I know that Levy, but I can't recover properly when I can clearly hear you strangling someone to death. Gives me a horrible feeling when you have spilt blood with your innocent little hands. Also, I want to talk to her. _Alone_." Gajeel emphasized 'alone' when Levy was about to suggest that she'll come with him. A glaring match ensued between the two, with Gajeel coming out as the victor.

"Fine. Just get back to your bed." She pouted.

"Gihi, way ahead of ya." He chuckled before walking shakily back into the infirmary. Most would think that it was just his concussion, but in reality he was scared to death by Levy.'_That will be the last time I will have a glare-off with Levy. She can be scary as hell if she wants to._' As he was walking back, Levy walked towards Erza to relay Gajeel's request for a one-on-one conversation.

"Why?" Mira inquired, the question made Levy shift her still furious gaze at the barmaid.

"I don't know, Gajeel just asked to talk to Erza." Levy answered as calmly as she could before glaring at Erza once more. "If you try anything to him or Natsu, I won't hesitate to break a few bones in your body. Just because you're S-class doesn't mean you're superior to me." Erza met her eyes for a moment before Levy turned around and walked out of the guild with an air of anger that scared most of the present mages.

"Well, Erza you should get going now… Erza?" Mira began cheerfully, but her voice received a concerned tone when she noticed that her best friend was staring out of the guild doors with hollow eyes. "Erza, snap out of it." She continued, getting increasingly worried at the knight's lack of response.

"She's right." Mira heard Erza whisper to herself.

"About what?" Mira mentally scolded herself afterwards for blurting out the question. She already had an idea of what Erza meant, but she just had to ask didn't she. Stupid gossip girl habits.

"I should've died that day. I should've, but Natsu saved me before I could. After all the heartache I put him through, he still saved me because he loved me. Why would he still love me? A good-for-nothing cheating degenerate whose only previous reactions with him were acts of violence. The more I think about it, the clearer it gets. I really don't deserve Natsu's love. It should've remained with Lucy or Lisanna. Maybe even you, Mira, or even you, Cana. Anyone but myself deserves his love." Erza softly, but truthfully said. After a few moments of silence, a sharp pain erupted from her cheek. The source of said pain was none other than the daughter of Gildarts Clive.

"You are really stupid sometimes, you know that." Cana began as Erza rubbed her red cheek. "I may not know what happened there, but I do know that after all that Natsu still loves you. So don't sell yourself short because of such a small incident."

"A small incident?" Erza asked, shock in her voice. "**A SMALL INCIDENT?!** **YOU WEREN'T THERE SO DON'T GO WALTZING AROUND TELLING ME THAT IT WAS JUST A SMALL INCIDENT, BECAUSE IT WASN'T. YOU'RE LUCKY THAT YOU WERE WITH YOUR FATHER THAT DAY BECAUSE IF YOU WEREN'T YOU WILL ALSO PROBABLY WITH GAJEEL RIGHT NOW! AND WHAT OF NATSU'S FEELINGS? YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK IN HIS STEAD SO DON'T TELL ME THAT HE STILL LOVES ME!**" Her explosion of anger shocked Cana immensely for Erza doesn't explode like that for no reason. It seemed that Natsu still loving her was a very touchy subject for the knight. Just as quick as her burst of fury appeared, it disappeared and was replaced by a powerful sense of remorse.

"I….I'm sorry, Cana." She apologized in a small voice before turning around to walk to the infirmary. Before she could even take a step towards her location, her arms was held back by Cana.

"It's okay Erza," The brunette gave her a small smile. "It was my fault in the first place for bringing up a touchy subject." The redhead couldn't help but smile at Cana's apology. Cana returned the smile with a bigger one before letting her go. As they watched Erza walk away, little did they know that Makarov was watching them and eavesdropping on them ever since Erza walked through the guild doors.

* * *

"So what was the ruckus outside about?" Gajeel questioned when Erza entered the infirmary.

"You dragon senses should've picked up bits and pieces of our conversation to give you an idea." She countered. The man was currently sitting on one of the infirmary beds with a plateful of nuts and bolts situated above a table to his right. Besides Gajeel, Jellal and Natsu were recovering in the infirmary. She gave Natsu's sleeping form a longing gaze before sitting down on a chair beside Gajeel.

"He loves ya a lot you know." Gajeel said and Erza looks at him in surprise. "And it seems that you still love him just as much."

"I don't deserve his love." She retorted, but Gajeel grunted angrily.

"You say that because you feel guilty for what you did that day." A barely visible nod from Erza confirmed his claim. "Let me tell you this, you weren't responsible for what happened."

"But I was! I kissed Jellal, which made Natsu go berserk on everyone. The entire thing happened because I cheated on Natsu." She countered his farfetched claim of her innocence. When she finished speaking, Gajeel tossed a small vial at her. She barely caught it and then she observed the clear liquid inside the container. To her surprise the vial was quite cold. "What is this?"

"Dragon pheromones, with a magic seal so that opening the vial makes the liquid a gas and it remains at a low temperature to preserve them. Little Dragon found it two days ago during one of her 'missions' where she investigated the site of our battles for evidence to prove that you're innocent. I don't know whose it is or how they got it, but I do know that this may have been a factor of what happened that day." He explained.

"Little Dragon? You mean Wendy?!" Gajeel nodded. "Where is she right now?"

"She's back there at the site, investigating for more clues. I dunno why she keeps on going back there after she already found this. Stupid girl would do anything for Natsu or you"

"Why are you telling me this rather than Levy or the others." She asked the black-haired man.

"Because I need some confirmation that you were affected by it and not someone else. Judging by the pheromones' scent, it's from a male dragon slayer thus it's targets are females. During your fun moments with tattoo-freak over there, was there a subconscious urge to either attack him on the spot or to submit to his every command?"

"Why are you and Wendy helping me?" She asked. "Out of all the people who should be pissed, you, Natsu and Wendy should be at the top of the list considering that you treat each other as siblings and I know how protective dragons are of their families."

"Hmph. Little Dragon wants to help you because she is like Natsu. She sees the good in everyone and can almost tell if someone is innocent or not. She believes that you're innocent and doesn't want you to go through the pain of being hated. I on the other hand am helping you because you are Salamander's mate. If he were to permanently lose you, it would destroy him from the inside and as you said I am treating him like my brother and I have to protect him from others as well as himself. Now answer my damn question."Gajeel barked, prompting Erza to nod. Erza thought long and hard, sorting through painful memories to find her answer. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind about the question.

"Now that you mentioned it, yes. There was a voice in my head, my voice when I was a child, that told me that I wanted, no needed to kiss him because he was my true love. I didn't know why, but I believed the little voice in my head and my body simply followed its request. I believed for a moment that Jellal was my true love and Natsu was just a placeholder. However, it all died down when my mark burned away." She revealed.

"I guess I was right. Someone was at the right place at the right time to administer the gaseous pheromones in order to cause chaos within the group. And judging by the amount leftover, the culprit was planning to use this on all the female mages present but something or someone caused them to lose this. The funny thing is, there is no scent attached to this, so they probably had a way to hide their scents and they knew that dragon slayers would be there…." He revealed his reasoning, but Erza wasn't listening. She was staring at Natsu with teary eyes and then looked at Jellal. Her mind was drifting off, she wasn't to blame. The very thought of her being innocent of the crime flickered a miniscule spark of hope in her.

"S-S-So, I'm innocent?!" She asked with a small voice, trying to hold her tears in. She was internally praying that Gajeel answered yes, so that she could finally ask for everyone's forgiveness. If Gajeel were to answer no, her world would be crushed for she purposely cheated on Natsu.

"It's hard to tell right now." Erza immediately deflated. "The evidence sure suggests that you are innocent, but the thing is we won't know for sure that you're innocent until someone coughs up that they used this to make the events two weeks ago happen. For now, let's say you're not completely guilty but also not completely innocent."

"But… I swear, I didn't kiss him because I loved him. It was that voice, that f****** voice that made me do it. Please, you have to believe me Gajeel." Erza pleaded to Gajeel, going as far to kneel down at the floor. Gajeel on the other hand was shocked, from Erza's vulgar language as well as the sight of the once mighty Titania on her knees and begging him to believe in her claims of innocence.

"I…..I'm sorry Titania, but -"

"**NO! DON'T CALL ME TITANIA,**" Erza interrupted Gajeel, looking up at him with tearing eyes and a red face. "**THAT MONIKER IS NOTHING I AM PROUD OF! I AM NOTHING CLOSE TO BEING A QUEEN OF THIS GUILD, MUCH A LESS A LEADER! MANY OF THE OTHERS LOOK UP TO ME, THINKING I AM SUCH A GREAT ROLE MODEL. THEY ARE ALL LOOKING UP TO A LIAR, A FAKE WHO RELIES ON OTHERS TO HELP HER MOVE FORWARD FROM HER OWN PROBLEMS. CAN'T THEY SEE THAT I AM A USELESS HUMAN BEING WITH NO TRUE PURPOSE, SO PLEASE GAJEEL JUST BELIEVE ME!** If I found out that I did it on purpose, Natsu would leave me and my life would be as dark as an abyss." She was sobbing heavily the moment she began to rant about herself. Gajeel had a hard time understanding Erza's last sentence for she was choking as she tried to recompose herself rather than bawling uncontrollably. For a moment, Gajeel was scared, scared that Levy was in Erza's position right now. His mate, his lover bawling her eyes out begging someone to believe in her after cheating on him against her will. Even though she is Salamander's mate, with her revealing her broken self and Natsu being unconscious, Gajeel had no choice but to attempt to comfort the redhead.

"I believe you, Erza." He wasn't expecting her to lunge at him and then hug him while crying on his shoulder.

"Thank you, thank you so much." She sobbed, Gajeel just sat there, unsure what to do and uncertain on why those words meant so much to her. Thankfully, he didn't have to do anything for the infirmary doors opened rather loudly and gained Erza's attention. Unfortunately, the person who opened the door was Happy with a few other mages watching him from the background. The blue furball of energy locked eyes with Erza and before she knew it, she was pinned against the wall with a sword on her throat.

"You have five seconds to explain why you're here before I cut your throat and relish the sight of your blood spilling as your eyes lose what remaining light they have. Afterwards, I'll dispose of your body so that nobody would have to waste anymore time feeling senseless remorse for your death." Happy threatened in his battle form. To prove his point, he made the sword cut through skin and watched as a blob of blood appeared from the cut. He takes it a little too far with the description, but considering his bond with Natsu, the degree of violence that Happy is adopting is possibly for him to protect his best friend and father figure. Gajeel was shivering in the background at Happy's sadistic mood change. '_I swear, it's usually hard for people to take a blue humanoid cat seriously. But this guy is threatening to hurt Erza with rather disturbing descriptions on how he reacts to how he hurts her. In my time as a dark mage I wasn't _this _crazy for the blood of my enemies. Little Dragon better find more evidence to prove Erza's innocence so that this can be put in the past_." In an effort to show that he was unfazed by Happy's rather disturbing persona change, Gajeel answered for Erza.

"She's here because I wanted to talk to her about something." Happy snapped his head to Gajeel, who was glaring at him. "You got a problem with that?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I find it rather odd that you would actually interact with her in a more civil manner, didn't you tell us about a week ago that when Levy told the source of Natsu's rage you would beat some sense into her." Happy pushed Erza harder against the wall with her staring at Gajeel with pleading eyes as she struggled to breathe.

"I don't deny that I have said that, and I will punish her in due time. Also, I think she's running out of breath. Could you at least loosen your grip enough for her to breathe." Happy simply sneered at him.

"Since when did you care about her well being?"

"Since I found out how truly broken that woman is. Look into her eyes and don't tell me that you don't see pain in them." Happy reluctantly faced the redhead, and let his angry visage crumble for a split second. He saw pain at the forefront, immeasurable amounts of pain that seemed to eat her out from the inside. Then he saw remorse, enough remorse to make Happy question how can she still have any distinguishable feelings. That amount of remorse that Erza carried could drive any person mad, even push them to suicide to make it end. Somehow, whether from her iron will that she might still have or from her stubborn nature, Erza seemed to move on with that much remorse in her heart. He saw traces of many negative emotions in her eyes. Anger, sadness, guilt; name a negative emotion and Erza probably feels it. However, the most interesting thing he saw was that tiny flicker of hope. Hope that Natsu would forgive her. Hope that everyone would forgive her. And hope that she was innocent.

However, as quick as the slip-up came, it disappeared and Happy adopted a vengeful persona once more. "I see pain, but that isn't enough to convince me that she is broken." He shoved Erza against the wall once more before walking towards Natsu, transforming back to his cat form as he got closer to his friend.

"I'm sorry Happy." He heard Erza say through laboured breaths. "I truly am."

"You always say that," Happy looked over his shoulder to face Erza. "But it doesn't change the fact that I hate you." Activating his _**Aera**_, Happy flew over to Natsu's head and curled up into a ball beside him. Meanwhile, Erza got up with a hand on her grievous injury.

"Thanks Gajeel for having me." She walked away with her eyes facing the floor. When she got out of the infirmary, she was immediately confronted by Mira.

"Erza, are you alright?" She asked. The knightess shook her head before walking to the bar counter to take a seat and to rest her head on the hardwood. Many thoughts went into her head at the revelation that Gajeel gave her as well as the threat that Happy used. She usually would just shrug off any threats thrown at her, but with her mental state of mind, she can't help but worry about it and be scared. It was like when she lost Natsu at Tenrou Island over again. Back then, when Natsu was alive, she could face any danger with no worries about it because she knew that with Natsu, everything would be alright. Now, with them slowly splitting apart, she can't help but feel weak. A clink of a glass bottle caught her attention. She brought her head up to see Cana with a small clear bottle of a familiar looking liquid in one hand and two shot glasses in the other.

"Want a drink?" Without hesitation, Erza grabbed the bottle and downed a fifth of the contents before coughing a bit. She didn't notice that everyone in the guild was watching her with wide eyes, even Laxus was surprised at her actions. Her throat burned from the intensity of the alcoholic drink, but she didn't mind. The only thing she could do at this moment was drown all her sorrows and her pain in alcohol. With the strength of Draconic Moonshine, it would be an easy task even if she had high alcoholic resistance.

"Erza, calm down. That much alcohol at once could really kill you." Cana scolded the redhead. '_What am I doing? I drink an average of 2 barrels of booze everyday and I'm telling her that chugging a fifth of the strongest booze I have ever come across is dangerous._' Cana thought with a mental sweatdrop.

"Sorry…... How'd you get this?" Cana smiled before puffing out her chest.

"I made it myself!" Behind her, Makarov's jaw dropped in jealousy. "Went to Mt. Hakobe two days ago and found that 'special ingredient'. With the help of my brewing skills, and 20 hours of trial and error, I made this." Erza hummed in understanding before taking another sip from the bottle. That second sip caused her cheeks to turn to a dark shade of pink, almost bordering red.

"My, my Erza… Seeing you chug that thing makes me remember the times where only 2 glasses of weak champagne got you intoxicated." Mira piped in, attempting to brighten the atmosphere with a little joke. However, that plan backfired for Erza sunk in her seat while cradling the bottle in her arms.

"Mmmm. Without Natsu, I probably would still be as alcohol intolerant as ever." She gave the bottle to Cana, who eagerly poured herself a shot before the bottle was snatched away once more by Erza. A swig was drunk and her face became a shade lighter than her renowned blood red hair. "Without Natsu, I am nothing. My strength came from his weaknesses. My intelligence came from his stupidity. My heart came from his bigger one. Without him, what am I?" A few tears escaped from her eyes as she poised to take another swig of alcohol. However, she was stopped by Makarov.

"Erza, I have to ask you something." He said with a stern voice. Erza lazily looked at him before nodding. "What happened two weeks ago?" Fairy Tail's guild master saw that Erza visibly tensed, her hands tightening around the bottle.

"I…..I can't Master. I just can't." She tried to drink from the bottle once more, but it was swatted away by Makarov. Cana simply watched and shed anime tears as all her hard work crashed into the guild's hardwood floor.

"Erza,, when all of you arrived back, almost all of your guildmates were injured. Others more so, such as Gajeel, Natsu, Laxus and yourself. Besides that, Crime Sorciere - a guild that the Magic Council is very wary of - was with you and one of their own was also heavily injured. For two weeks, I held myself back from asking the question from you for everyone was recovering. When I had the opportunities to ask some of your guild mates, they refused to answer. The secrecy has to stop, I can't stand by let my children hide information on how they got hurt from me. I am already risking the safety of many of you by letting Jellal stay here to recover, not that I would care about the Council messing with us. To make things worse, the events of that day seemed to have sparked some hatred towards you, to the point that some of your guildmates won't think twice about hurting you. So please Erza, tell me what happened." Makarov pleaded to one of his precious children. Noticing Erza lower her head so her hair could hide her face, Makarov decided to wait. But waiting only caused Makarov to find out how badly affected Erza was by that day's events, for she began to shake and cry quietly in front of everyone.

"Do you really want to know what happened Master?" Levy's voice reached Makarov's ears. "Because we are all certain that you will not like it." Makarov nodded, but he motioned Levy to come to his office so they can discuss matters privately. At first, Makarov thought that it was just a surprise dark guild attack with Erza screwing up somehow which caused the hate to breed. However, as he listened to Levy's tale, his heart seemed to stop at learning what truly happened. '_Natsu attempting kill Jellal and severely hurting anyone who came in his way. And according to Levy, Erza was to blame for she triggered Natsu's draconic instincts of bloodlust._'

"**NATSU'S AWAKE!**" Happy was heard screaming. A multitude of falling chairs, stomping feet and mentions of the aforementioned mages' name was heard from Makarov's office. Dismissing Levy and walking out, he commanded the crowd of eager mages to stand down for now as he checked up on Natsu's condition. As he ordered a random mage to fetch the human hating Porlyusica, one stubborn (and drunk) mage slipped through the crowd and ran into the infirmary doors.

"**ERZA, WAIT!**" Was heard from behind the doors.

* * *

Happy stared intently at the infirmary doors as if it was an enemy, taking no chances for anyone to hurt Natsu anymore. His mind drifted back to what he saw in Erza's now dull chestnut eyes, it shocked him to say the least when he saw what she was feeling. He knew that Natsu would immediately drop to his knees in front of Erza to attempt to mitigate the pain that she was feeling. However with Happy, it's a different case. Let her suffer, the majority of his conscience told him to do. It was his go to plan, but a tiny part of him actually felt sorry for her. It was bizarre, considering the amount of hatred that welled up in his chest every time he saw her face. Should he really let her suffer, when all she has left is that tiny flicker of hope that everyone will forgive her? The question got the majority of his focus, causing him to unsuspectedly ignore Gajeel calling for him.

_*screeeeeech*_

The sound of a metallic object skimming through chinaware assaulted his ears and made him jump up high in the air, landing with his fur standing on end. Facing Gajeel, whose finger was shaped as a fork, Happy couldn't help but glare at the man who created such an irritating noise just to get his attention. "What is it?" Happy asked angrily.

"Tattoo freak's waking up. Scratch that, he's awake." Gajeel motioned to the rising form of Jellal, who was flinching from his movements. Shaking his head, the ex-wizard saint looked around to observe his surroundings before speaking.

"What time and what day is it?" Happy began to growl like a normal cat ('cuz Happy ain't a normal cat) meeting someone new (cat owners, you know what I mean).

"Does it matter?" retorted Gajeel, a bit amused on how Jellal is reacting to Happy's feline side. The man sighed at his neighbours' obvious distaste of him being there. What could he do about it? He was injured and no hospitals would ever dare take in fugitives, so Makarov kindly let them stay so that he may recover. It's always the same with these two with everytime he tries to interact with them, Happy always ends up acting more like a very angry cat and Gajeel just acts like a jerk (which he does to almost half the mages in Fairy Tail).

"I know that you two still hate me - " He was began, but was interrupted by Happy.

"Hate doesn't even scratch the surface on how I feel about you." Jellal just sighed wearily before continuing.

"But I need to know how close we are to the Grand Magic Games so that my comrades may begin investigating. So for at least 20 seconds, just cooperate with me okay?"

"Oh no. We can't do that because we have a better idea. For at least 20 seconds, I am going to rain down an un-Godly (bleep) firestorm upon you! You're gonna have to call the (bleep) Magic Council as well as the Ten Wizard Saints and get a (bleep) binding resolution to keep me from (bleep) destroying you. I'm talking scorched earth, mother(bleep)! I will massacre you! **I WILL (BLEEP) YOU UP!***" To prove his point, Happy jumped off of Natsu's bed, transformed and requipped into his knight armour (I'll call it the 'Dragon Templar', cuz the design is familiar to a knight's templar knight and I never gave it a name last chapter) then started brandishing his claymore in a menacing manner. "Get the picture?"

Jellal once again sighed wearily at Happy's actions. "I'll take that as a big no." Happy grunted before sitting down on a chair beside Natsu, making Gajeel wonder how the chair isn't breaking under the armour's weight. An awkward silence soon settled over the room, not that Happy minded.

"I heard everything Gajeel. Everything about Erza." Jellal said out of the blue, making the other occupants' eyes widen.

"What?! I thought you were out cold." Gajeel exclaimed.

"What is he talking about Gajeel?!" Happy asked the iron dragon slayer, but all he got was silence and a man with a face that resembled a fish out of water.

"I'm surprised that he hasn't told anyone yet. With that kind of information, imagine the amount of suffering that Erza wouldn't have to feel. So please Gajeel, enlighten Happy with what you have told Erza." Highly suspicious of Gajeel's interactions with Erza, Happy stomped to Gajeel's bed and lifted the bigger man by the collar out of his bed.

"What does he mean about that? What were you and Erza talking about before I got here?" He punches Gajeel with a gauntlet-clad fist when the man hesitated to spill the beans. "Answer me!"

"It's none of your damn business." Gajeel fired back angrily. '_I'm going to make sure that tattoo freak regretted saying that later.'_

"How so? What is so important that you shared it with _her_, but not the entire guild or even Levy?" The exceed seethed through gritted teeth, but Gajeel still remained defiant at the blue furred warrior. "If you're not going to tell me, I might as well ask Levy to extract the information out of you." Transforming back into his exceed form, Happy flew away and intended to reveal all he has learned to Gajeel's mate. He never got the chance to open the door when he heard someone groan. It wasn't the groan that made him stop, it was who was making the groan. Turning around, he saw Natsu's eyelids flutter and his fingers twitch.

"Natsu!" Happy flew to his best buddy's side and watched as his eyes slowly open for the first time in two weeks.

"Happy?" Natsu croaked out, his voice a little raspy. Overjoyed at his friend's 'revival', Happy barged through the infirmary doors and yelled at the top of his lungs, "**NATSU'S AWAKE!**" The effect was instantaneous, everyone jumped from their seats and ran towards the infirmary. However, Makarov stopped everyone from moving any further and ordered a random guy to get Porlyusica. Erza, the stubborn heartbroken mage she is right now, paid no heed to Makarov's instructions and ran (albeit a bit wobbly due to her intoxicated state) towards the infirmary doors. The moment she entered, she immediately noticed that the other two occupants were surprised about something. Was it because of her entering with a red face?

"**ERZA, WAIT!**" Gajeel and Jellal warned her, but she didn't care. She needed to see Natsu and ask for his forgiveness as soon as possible. Walking towards his bunk, noticing that he was staring out the window, Erza called out his name.

"Natsu!"

"Hmmmm? Oh Knightwalker, how nice of you to join me! Tell me, how's my Edolas counterpart? In fact, give me an entire debrief on how life currently is in Edolas.."

"N-N-Natsu?" Her voice broke in sorrow. It can't be happening, Natsu has forgotten who she was. Fresh tears sprung in her eyes as her knees gave out underneath her. She held a hand on her mouth in an attempt to muffle her whimpers, but to no avail for they were still audible.

"Knightwalker, you okay?" Natsu cast her a worried look. Erza shook her head violently, refusing to believe that this was Natsu. She tried to stand up, but her knees were too weak and it caused her to fall on her butt. The infirmary doors opened quietly and Makarov was met with a sight of a weeping Erza on the floor and Natsu casting her a worried look. "Why are you wearing Erza's clothes?"

"Erza? Natsu?" Makarov asked, his voice gaining their attention.

"Eh, who are you? You look to much like my world's Makarov." Makarov looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Makarov walked closer towards Natsu. At the corner of his eye, he saw Erza get up and run out of the infirmary.

"Well, surely I'm back in Edolas and seven years ago I never saw you when we arrived here. And when when I meant 'you look like my world's Makarov', I'm from an alternate dimension called Earthland and Makarov is this short old guy who is the master of my guild which is called Fairy Tail." Natsu explained to the Makarov look-alike. '_I swear, this guy looks exactly like Makarov. I'm certain that that this is Edo-Makarov, but I thought King Faust was Edo-Makarov._'

'_So this is what sparked a negative reaction from Erza._' He thought. He was about to tell Natsu that this wasn't Edolas, but Gajeel beat him to it.

"Salamander, you ain't in Edolas. You're still in Earthland and that is old man Makarov. The person who you thought was Knightwalker was actually Erza Scarlet." The confusion in Natsu's eyes gave Makarov the answer he needed. Natsu was delirious. He's confused at where he is and judging by the lack of magical pressure from him, Makarov can conclude that Natsu has temporary magic deficiency. Hopefully he can recover so that Makarov could finally make the hard decision. First things first though, they needed to convince Natsu that this was Earthland and tell Erza that Natsu was simply delirious. "Old man, after this we need to talk in your office…. It's about Ivan."

* * *

_ONE WEEK LATER_

Natsu sat at one of the guild's bar stools, idly swirling a glass of lit up whiskey. A lot has been on his mind lately and he is thankful that the guild is quiet for once. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone sit beside him.

"A glass of brandy, Mira." The deep voice of Laxus Dreyar said.

"Coming right up!" Mira replied with her ever present smile. Moments later, a glass cup filled with an orange-brown liquid slid to Laxus' waiting hand. Paying the fee, he took a small sip of the beverage before nudging Natsu.

"What's on your mind?" Natsu was brought out of his daze by the question. He didn't respond for a few minutes, but continued to swirl his drink. Finally, he stopped playing around with the glass and downed the whiskey in one go.

"Too much for one man to handle, but too complicated to share about." Natsu revealed, making Laxus quirk an eyebrow.

"Has to pretty bad to make you sit there for nearly 3 hours straight." Laxus joked before taking a serious undertone. "Just don't let it consume you Natsu. You never know when the things in your head could actually hurt you."

"Thanks for the advice…. Mira, refill please." Natsu held out his empty glass. In a flash, Mira grabbed the glass, poured some alcohol until the glass was half-full and then lit it with a match. When he got the glass back, Natsu began to toy around with it once more. The sound of glass sliding on a wooden surface overpowered the near silent chatter of some guild members. On any other day, most people would've already jumped Natsu to stop the annoying noise. The atmosphere of anger and depression that Natsu was emitting was enough to convince them that it would be a very bad idea to do so.

The guild doors then opened and in walked Lucy. After returning a few greetings, she made her way to her objective: her salmon-haired friend, Natsu. "Hey Natsu!"

"Good afternoon, Lucy." He replied then downed half of his drink. The next minute was awkward for Lucy for he was just staring at his glass and acting as if she disappeared the moment he answered back.

"So, ummm, Natsu. Can I talk to you privately?" Lucy asked, looking away from him and scratching her cheek. All she heard from him was a grunt before he got off of his seat and dragged her to the infirmary. Locking the door behind him and putting up sound-proof runes, Natsu crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the floor in impatience.

"Well?" He growled, ticked off that his drinking time was interrupted. Even from a foot away, Lucy could smell alcohol in his breath. Something that she is not used to with Natsu. "We haven't got all f****** day."

"Uhh, well… You see…. umm…" Lucy stammered, she was having a very hard time getting the words out of her mouth. '_You can do this Lucy, it's now or never._'

"Spit it out Luce!" Natsu exclaimed, not noticing that the use of Lucy's nickname made her blush a bit.

"Alright…." She took a deep breath, "Natsu, it may be too early for me to say this considering the situation you're in, but I am harbouring romantic feelings for you. I never got the opportunities to act upon them because of your relationship with Erza. Now, I can say without any worries that I love you Natsu Dragneel." Natsu just stared at her with blank eyes. Lucy was unsure whether he was ignoring her or thinking about her confession.

"No." Lucy cocked her head in confusion at his curt reply.

"What?"

"I can't return your feelings because I don't love you." Lucy's heart clenched at his bluntness. Though she was curious on who held her crush's heart this time around.

"Who do you love?"

"Erza." Lucy's eyes widened.

"You still love her? After all she did?!" Natsu quietly nodded, never taking his eyes away from her. "Why? She has broken your heart and there's no reason for you to keep loving her after she cheated on you."

"I still love her because she is my eternal mate. Even if she cheated on me with all the males of the guild, I still would love her. But that doesn't mean that I would forgive her for what she has done. A heart of a person is a fragile thing. If it were to break, the process of repairing it takes a lot of time and massive effort from both parties."

"No…" She croaked out, tears misting her vision. "It's impossible for you to love someone else who has cheated on you.

"I'm sorry Lucy, but that is how my instincts work. My instincts are a part of me, take them away and you'll end up with a completely different Natsu." He walked up to her and hugged her in efforts to comfort the crying celestial mage. "I hope that we can still be the best friends even after i turned your feelings down. For what it's worth, with your beauty and intelligence, finding the right man to love you is going to be easier than you think." After a few minutes of crying, Lucy finally calmed down.

"Thanks for your time Natsu. Sorry for disturbing you, at least a weight is finally off my chest after my confession." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. But she saw that his smile isn't as warm as it usually was, it seemed more tired than anything. Natsu on the other hand noticed that the smile was forced and the rejection affected her quite a lot. He opened his mouth to comfort her more, but she turned around and unlocked the door so that they could walk out. Lucy walked to where Team Natsu minus Erza was seated and Natsu walked back to the bar where he could enjoy his burning whiskey in peace. Seeing that Erza wasn't with Team Natsu, Natsu looked around for her. He saw her at the second floor, alone and staring at an untouched plate of strawberry cheese cake.

His ears picked up the clicking of a door being unlocked. He didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Makarov exiting the office. '_Show time._'

'_I'll be hurting many hearts with this announcement, but it's necessary if this is what he wants to happen. We can't let him suspect that we know about his plan._' Makarov thought. He looked to where Natsu was seated, locked eyes with him in a silent conversation and the both of them gave a barely noticeable nod to each other. "Everyone I have an announcement." He spoke gaining everyone's attention, including Erza.

'_I'm sorry Erza._' Three voices simultaneously thought. "It breaks my heart to announce that one of our own has been excommunicated."

"**WHAT!**" Everyone yelled in unison at this. Only Natsu didn't react, he simply kept on indulging in his drink. Then the crowd began to part, revealing Erza with her head down and her hands closed in a fist.

"I understand your need to punish me master. I accept the excommunication." She said. Some people smirked at the idea of Erza being excommunicated, namely Levy and Happy.

"You've got it all wrong Erza. You aren't the one who is being excommunicated." Her head snapped up, revealing tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Who is?" She weakly asked. Makarov's eyes softened and a frown formed on his face as he directed his sight to the fire dragon slayer. Everyone followed his line of sight and many gasped at the information of Natsu being excommunicated.

"Natsu?!" Erza stared helplessly at Makarov.

"**OLD MAN WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!**" Laxus yelled at the top of his lungs as well as many other mages.

"Natsu voluntarily hurt many of his guild members in an attempt to take a man's life away. As an unwritten rule of Fairy Tail, none of our mages are to be forgiven when they intend to kill anyone." Makarov explained, but instead of quieting down, the guild got noisier as more disagreements to his judgement poured in.

"**HIS INSTINCTS WERE IN CONTROL OF HIS ACTIONS!**" The dragon slayers defended Natsu. "**ERZA SHOULD BE THE ONE WHO IS TO BE EXCOMMUNICATED BECAUSE SHE WAS THE ONE WHO MADE HIM DO IT!**"

"I understand that Erza was the source of Natsu's blind fury, but that doesn't change the fact that Natsu was the one who hurt everyone." Makarov explained his reasoning as calmly as he could.

"**THAT SO BULL CRAP! IF NATSU'S GOING TO GET EXCOMMUNICATED, SO WILL I!**" Happy yelled, and soon after many mages were also telling Makarov to excommunicate them as well.

"**ONLY NATSU'S GETTING EXPELLED AND THAT'S FINAL!**" Makarov boomed, his voice overpowering everyone else. Immediately everyone quieted down as Makarov watched their body language. "I know that you are upset, but this is what has to be done. Laxus, you should be able to understand because you were once excommunicated as well." Laxus scoffed before turning into lightning and zapping away.

"Too bad Laxus couldn't stay." Natsu piped in, walking to where Makarov stood and was holding a metallic flask. "I accept the punishment for my actions master. I take it that you want me out right now." He pondered before taking a swig.

"Unfortunately so Natsu. My boy, even though you're no longer an official member of Fairy Tail, remember that if you have no other place to go, our doors are open. Be careful during your journey, you're still not completely healed and your magic container isn't accustomed to prolonged use of magic just yet." Makarov took a stamp remover from a teary-eyed Mira and was about to remove Natsu's stamp. When Natsu lifted his right sleeve, Makarov was surprised to see that the insignia was gone.

"Hehehe, I removed my mark the moment I could use my magic again." Natsu said. Then he faced his family and gave them one of his signature grins. "My journey through life with you guys is something that I will never forget. Each and everyone of your unique personalities, strengths and weaknesses are to remain in my heart for as long as there is air in my lungs. Even though it's a shame that I have been expelled, don't let it hinder your spirit. We are Fairy Tail for a reason, it's because of our bonds as friends and family as well as our unbreakable will. I am and I will always be the happiest person in Fiore because of the memories I have made with you. Farewell, Fairy Tail. Until we cross paths again." At the end of his soliloquy, many of his friends were crying their eyes out (with the exception of Gray and Gajeel, claiming that they will never miss that pink-haired loser). However, one person remained motionless as Natsu began to walk towards the guild's double doors.

"Natsu!" He felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around him and a head rest on his back. The scent of roses was picked up by his nose and that was all he needed to figure out who was behind him. "Please don't go."

"I have no control over this Erza…" He calmly said while gently freeing himself from her. "You also don't have a say in this. So just let me go." Erza shook her head furiously from its spot on his back and hugged him from behind once more.

"I will never let go of you; not now, not ever." Natsu let out an aggravated grunt at her stubbornness and roughly pulled her arms apart to face her eye-to-eye.

"Erza, we are parting ways and it's possibly permanent. Can't you understand?! A relationship between us is near impossible, just like what your relationship could've been with Jellal." He saw Erza's eyes shrink a moment before a blaze of anger appeared in them. She shoved Natsu away from her before delivering a mighty b**** slap. It wasn't any kind of b**** slap, it was a b**** slap that was enhanced with Fire Dragon King Slayer Magic. However, the impact didn't even faze Natsu.

"Don't you ever think that way. Especially with the idea that Jellal and I are to be a couple if certain conditions were met. Sure that would've been true years before I joined Fairy Tail, but that isn't the case now. I have let go of my childish infatuation of Jellal because I met you at this very spot all those years ago. Why can't you see that I love you too damn much to let you go?! I know what I have done hurt you and caused you to hurt everyone, but at least let me find a way to make it up to you. The others won't even bother to forgive me at all, but as long as I apologize to you, it won't matter." She dropped down to her knees and bowed so that her face was mere inches from his boots. "Natsu Dragneel, from the bottom of my heart and from the most inner parts of my pitiful soul, I am begging for your forgiveness for my actions that caused you so much pain."

"Get up." She raised her head and gave him a confused look. "I said get up." Natsu repeated forcefully. Erza slowly got to her feet, but she made sure that her head was down in fear of seeing what Natsu is feeling about her right now. However, her head was raised by a finger lifting her chin; this gave her no choice, but to face him after a month of alienation. Disappointment. That was the first emotion that she saw in his eyes. Of course he would be disappointed at her, who would after their girlfriend cheated on them. And then there was doubt, an emotion that she was used to seeing from him every time he made a hard decision.

"Erza." His soft voice brought her out of her thoughts. "You don't get it, do you? I can't forgive you so easily after what you have done to me and the others. Because of that, I'm not sure that we can be together anymore." Her heart stopped at his blunt confession of dumping her. "The pain I feel from that day surpasses any major injury I have received in my lifetime. My heart could not be able to repair itself after being broken in a million pieces. So the moment I walk out the guild doors will be the last time you will see me, unless fate decides to make us cross paths. Good-bye Erza, and I say this as a friend, not as a lover." Natsu turned around and walked away from the shell-shocked redhead. Each step he took was more difficult than the previous one. When he reached the doors, he heard Erza yell out 'requip'. Assuming that she was going to fight him in order to make him stay, Natsu made the mistake of turning around.

Erza had requipped a magic pistol that was familiar to Alzack's and its barrel was pointed at her head. Her eyes were constricted and leaking fresh tears, and her vision was directed solely at him. "Take one more step Natsu and you won't see me anymore. I am your only mate and I know that you wouldn't want me to perish so early in my life." She said. The guild was tense from the moment she requipped the pistol. They have a situation where Erza refuses to come to terms that Natsu is leaving and is planning to commit suicide in front of the whole guild. The question is, how will they disarm her before she pulls the trigger.

Natsu was the sole person who couldn't think clearly when he saw her. His mind was panicking as his dragon instincts began to take over his actions. He began to slowly walk towards Erza, who relaxed by a tiny bit. '_Natsu snap out of it, the plan's gonna get compromised if you let your instincts control you._' A voice rang in his head and he suddenly stopped about 10 feet away from his mate.

'_How the hell did you contact me telepathically?_' He asked, doing his best to pretend that all his attention was on Erza as she ranted about how he could just leave her after all she has given him was love and unwavering loyalty.

'_Warren's in it too. The old man briefed him about this as well and thought that we may need him if a situation like this with Erza arose._' The person replied. Natsu shifted his eyes around and could see that Warren was nowhere to be found.

'_And he didn't even bother telling me?! Jeez, after we deal with this and after I leave, give him a punch to the face. If he asks why you did it, just say because he's a senile old geezer.'_

'_Really creative Natsu..'_

'_Don't hurt her too much.. It's already bad enough that I have to leave._'

'_Can't make any promises._' Silence then took over the conversation for a few moments. '_Just be careful on your way there.'_

'_Didn't need to remind me._' The connection was cut when they finished and a moment later, a burst of lightning magic crashed through a window behind Erza and then hit her on the back. The amount of power caused Erza to let go of the pistol and drop to the ground. The lightning bolt then flew back outside, not wanting to overstay its welcome.

"**WHAT THE HELL LAXUS!**" Mira screamed at the retreating lightning bolt. Running to her best friend, she immediately checked for a pulse and was relieved to feel one. She looked up and noticed that Natsu was still staring at Erza's unconscious body. He shifted his gaze and locked eyes with the white-haired barmaid. She could see that he was very deep in thought as he gazed at her. To her surprise, he swiftly turned around and walked away.

"Natsu, aren't you at least a little concerned for her well-being? Especially after seeing her being pushed off the edge when you pretty much dumped her." Mira asked the pinkette. His shoulders shook as he chuckled very softly.

"I know Erza enough to dismiss the blow that she received as non-life threatening. As for her emotional state after she finds out I'm gone, you're going to have watch over her just in case she does anything stupid like attempting suicide. Recovery won't be quick, but that's not my problem now." He answered back without missing a step.

"Natsu, Erza needs you. Leave and she will be damaged beyond repair." This made Natsu stop in his tracks. He turned around and a red aura of anger surrounded him.

"I needed her when I was recovering from my delirium, but she refused to meet me eye-to-eye. I needed her to be by my side when I was in a coma, but from what I heard, she refused to stay in the same room as me. I needed her to remain faithful to me because she told me that she loved me, but she cheated on me with Jellal. When I needed her she wasn't there. And me leaving would leave _her_ damaged beyond repair? Woman, do you even know how hard it is for me to accept that I have been excommunicated? How hard it is to know that you will never see the woman that you love ever again?" Noticing that his magic was flaring, thanks to the amount of sweat pouring off of Mira, Natsu calmed down. He stared at her with fury still evident in his eyes before walking towards the doors once more. "One more thing, Erza wants to ask others for forgiveness. Tell her that she should start by forgiving herself." He said while turning his head to glance at the redhead. When he reached the outside of the guild's doors, he disappeared in a pillar of flame. Just as he disappeared, Erza began to stir in Mira's arms.

"Natsu…" The scarlet knight's weak voice sounded like the booming command of a giant in the completely silence of the guild. "Natsu…" She whispered again, this time it was quaky. "Please don't leave me." Erza's wrapped around Mira's waist and hugged her tightly as if she was going to float away.

"Erza…" Mira covered her mouth to hold back a sob. The fragile girl hidden beneath her old armour was resurfaced once more and this time it looked like there was no going back. As if hearing her name being called triggered something in her, Erza's eyes snapped open and darted around the guild. Then they came to rest upon Mira's misty royal blue eyes.

"Mira, where's Natsu?" Erza croaked out, feeling a little weak from the surprise attack.

"He's…" Mira began, but she hesitated.

"Where is he?" Erza repeated, with a bit more force.

"He's gone Erza. He left the guild." Mira confessed. Reality came crashing down on Erza as she shook her head furiously, unable to believe that Natsu would actually leave the guild that he loved so much. "I'm sorry Erza, but there was nothing I could do to stop him. If I tried to fight him, he would just beat me down. I tried to talk to him, but he simply dismissed my pleas."

"No, No, No…. He can't be gone. He never wanted to leave. This is all just a joke right? It has to be, since Natsu could never kicked out of the guild for beating a few guildmates up. Am I right?" Erza frantically tried to reason that this was all fake, but the sad look that Mira gave her was enough to convince her that this was all as real as herself. Her eyes darted to the open guild doors before scanning the entire guild hall. The looks of empathy she saw were crushing her for they knew that Natsu's departure was as true as the bonds they have made with the pink-haired mage.

She scrambled to her feet and ran towards the guild doors, ignoring the pain on her abdomen. Her eyes wildly scanned the moving crowd of civilians for a hint of pink hair that may be Natsu's. Finding none, she then ran towards his home, occasionally bumping into a civilian. Barging into his house, she sniffed around for a hint of his scent. Erza was devastated when she couldn't find his scent, she began to search every room, but still didn't find Natsu. Finally, she ended up in the bedroom, and on the bed was a folded piece of paper.

She picked it up and opened it. It read "I'm sorry, Erza. I had to do this.". Erza backpedaled until she hit a wall. Her legs gave up from underneath her and made her slide down on to the floor with her eyes as hollow as an armour without a wearer. The front door of the house opened and she picked up the scents of two of the most supportive people in her life.

"Come on, Erza. Let's go home." Mira whispered into her ear. Erza didn't respond, she simply stared at the opposite wall with unfocused eyes.

"Mira, stay with her. She needs all the support that is available, after being devastated by such a surprise. It breaks my heart to see her in this state once more. My children are supposed to be as happy and carefree as a bird." Makarov said as he sat down on a nearby chair, indicating that he will stay near Erza as long as she wants.

"I'm sorry Natsu." Was the last thing Erza said before the pain on her abdomen made her blackout.

* * *

**So yeah…. Another chapter, after a month of waiting. ~Yaaaaay~. I will be putting up a poll on whether I should let the drama go on with Erza or just skip to the event where all shall be revealed. To anyone who will find Erza's emotional distress and cry baby-esque persona annoying and out of place… Sorry, but this is how I envisioned Erza after the incident.**

**Once again, another sneak peak has been fulfilled.**

* * *

They stood there, processing the information they were given. After all these years, the lives they were living were a lie. One of the people in front of them stepped forward in an attempt to alleviate their conflicting feelings.

"Honey…"

"**NO, IT CAN'T BE. YOU'RE -**"

* * *

"Who are you?"

"I am the son of Acnologia and the others behind me are loyalists to the true dragon king, not that cowardly fire dragon king."

* * *

**I would like to thank dayvon135 for beta-reading**

_**Das2Eazy signing off**_


	16. Hate Train

**A door opens and in walked a familiar looking person.**

"**Hey guys, I'm back!" He greeted the occupants of the room cheerfully. His happiness was replaced by fear when about 300 people donned pitchforks, torches and the even the occasional scythe.**

"**Kill him for abandoning us!" One person in the crowd commanded, and all hell broke loose. Thirty minutes later, the familiar looking person was tied up and hanging upside down.**

"**So AmICrazy, where were you?" A shadow asked as a claymore was brandished. All AmICrazy could do was blabber about how life is hard.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**And that's my life…..**

* * *

****A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.****

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

A month and a day has passed since Natsu's excommunication. Most people were negatively affected, Erza being the worst. Yesterday, the GMG games had begun. It was not a good start for Fairy Tail Team A. Wendy was found unconscious with her magic drained by an unknown entity, almost to the point of magical deficiency, and she was spared from death thanks to Porlyusica's medical skill. With no other choices readily available, Elfman replaced Wendy on the team.

The elimination course was the Floating Labyrinth. Fairy Tail Team A barely qualified due to their lack of coordination and drive. Team B also disappointed audiences by coming in second, their failure to come in at first was due to Gajeel and Laxus' still being unable to perform with their injuries hindering them.

The First event of Hide n' Seek was quite fruitful for the Fairies. Using Lee Sin's training, Juvia and Gray were able to flawlessly dodge and counter Nullpuddings annoying advances. With Gray's ice and Juvia's water mixed with their martial arts mastery, both Fairy Tail mages tied for first place. Rufus nearly got the drop on them, but Grays quick thinking protected the both of them when he created an ice dome to shield them from the lightning attack. Then came the one-on-one battles.

Lucy lost to Flare due to an underhanded move when the Raven Tail mage threatened to hurt Asuka and when Asuka was safe she had her magic drained from an an outside source, suspiciously similar to Wendys ailment. Then came the battle between Jura Neekis and Maria Terranos. The redhead dragon slayer capitalized her speed in an attempt to break Jura's rock-hard defense. In the end, even with the use of _**Heavenly Fire Drive**_ and _**Crystal Dragon Queen's Scales**_, Maria harshly lost against the much superior mage. For the rest of the day, the mages watched as other magic users duked it out against each other before calling it a day when it reached the end of the daily games.

* * *

"Erza, it's time to wake up." Mira prodded the lump that portrayed a human underneath of the thick comforter. A groan was heard and Erza sat up, looking as gloomy as the day she lost Natsu for the second time. "Let's go, the games are starting in twenty."

"Hmph." She grunted. Mira nodded her head in understanding and left the room. Erza then gingerly stood up and walked towards the bathroom to wash herself. As she prepared to use the shower, she took a quick glance at the mirror.

Gone was the crimson, blood-like hair that many men had fantasized about. In its place was hair as onyx as the deepest, darkest abyss. Her once brilliant chocolate brown eyes were replaced by an emotionless seafoam green through the use of contacts. Once upon a time, her eyes showed everything about her, including how much she cared for her comrades, how much she loved Natsu and how she despised those who hurt the ones she cared for. Now however, those eyes were gone. In their place were a different pair. Eyes that were nothing more than a means of vision, no longer an indication of emotion, for she had none to exhibit. Her figure had also degraded even further. With her more than occasionally going on hunger strikes as she had locked herself in her room for the past month only venturing out when she couldn't take the hunger anymore or when she had to attend the Grand Magic Games.

Sighing, she took a bath and afterwards requipped into her Heart Kruez armour, but with some additions. The new armour had retained her standard chestplate. But her arms and legs were now covered with plate armour and padding underneath. As she made her way towards the door, her foot got snagged on something. Looking down, she saw the white scarf that she had always worn in an attempt to alleviate the pain she'd felt when Natsu died. A brief flash of rage clouded her eyes before quickly evaporating. Removing it from her ankle and forcefully placing it in a drawer. Haphazardly shoving it behind her other clothing she continued to walk to the door.

"Hey Er'! Ready to leave?" Mira's cheerily asked, exuberant for the next day of the Grand Magic Games. She was more than ready to prove herself if given the chance today. Erza's answer was to give a barely discernible nod and to rudely bump into the Strauss when walking towards the exit. The eldest **Take-Over **sibling simply shook her head while following the emotionally distressed requip mage.

"So Erza, how are you doing?" Mira attempted to start a conversation, but Erza simply kept quiet and never averted her gaze from ahead of her. "I'm doing fine if you're wondering, but I'm not sure that I could say the same for the others. Lucy took a huge blow to her pride when she was humiliated in front of all those people. She hasn't left her room since yesterday, good thing that there's room service her or else she would've starved." Mira continued her one-sided conversation with her best friend. Little did she know that Erza was paying very close attention to what she was saying.

* * *

"Welcome to the second day of the Grand Magic Games, I am Chapati Lola and with me is ex-council member Yajima-san as well as the famed reporter of Sorcerer Magazine, Jason! Good morning gentlemen, how are your days going?" Chapati's voice was heard all over the stadium.

"I am doing well Lola-san. I can't wait for the surprises that the competitors will provide us for the next events." Yajima answered.

"Cooool!" You know who this is.

"Today's opening event is called 'Chariot'. Participants are to run across a moving platform from one end of Crocus to the stadium. The mages participating are: Risley Law of Mermaid Heel, Ichiya V. Kotobuki of Blue Pegasus, Hansuke Terranos of Fairy Tail A, Gajeel Redfox of Fairy Tail B, Yuka Suzuki of Lamia Scale, Kurohebi of Raven Tail, Sting Eucliffe of Sabertooth, and Bacchus Groh of Quatro Cerberus." The aforementioned mages are all currently positioned at the starting line. Those with sharp eyes would notice how Sting would cast nervous glances at the Fairy Tail mages and slightly edge away from them.

"I believe that it's a bad decision for Sabertooth and Fairy Tail to let their dragon slayers participate; a very bad idea, don't you think? Since they have horrible cases of motion sickness." Chapati asked the others.

"I agree, the dragon slayers are at a big disadvantage. It makes me wonder what those two guilds were thinking about when they nominated those mages." Yajima replied. Jason simply kept quiet and jotted down notes regarding the conversation and the oncoming race. Down on the platforms, there was a tense atmosphere in between Fairy Tail's participants. Hansuke and Gajeel would growl at each other every time they made eye contact with each other. Their animalistic actions worried the other participants, causing them to wisely give the two a lot of space.

"**Go!**" The mages darted as soon as the word was heard. Many were surprised to see Gajeel and Hansuke take the lead. With the absence of knowledge concerning the hell Natsu put them through to get rid of their motion sickness and their endurance training of course they would be shocked. Meanwhile, Sting lingered around the starting point teetering between throwing up and passing out, maybe if we were lucky he'd do both and pass out in his own vomit! Yuck. Anyway, unfortunately for both of the Fairy Tail dragon slayers, they were currently tied for first.

Without warning, Gajeel activated his _**Adamantine Scales.**_ The weight of the scales caused every step he took to leave small craters on the wooden platforms. Then, he used his _**Karma Demon: Iron Spiral**_ to propel himself 50 feet ahead of his competition. When he landed, the platform he was on became unbalanced, making one end rise up and block Hansuke's path.

But the Hellfire Dragon Slayer would have none of that. Igniting his feet, he jumped over the barrier, and then he lit his hands on fire. His hands and feet ejected long and powerful torrents of fire as a form of thrust to give him a speed advantage over Gajeel. The iron-studded dragon slayer growled at his Iron Man imitating competitor as he dispelled his scales. '_Damn wannabe Tony Stark asshole…_'

He turned his arms into iron clubs with barbed tips and dug them into the buildings. Moving backwards until his back hit the still unbalanced platform, he retracted his arms quickly. The action caused him to be slung forwards with the force of a rubber band as he moved towards his stuck clubs rather than they to him. Then he used his momentum with the addition to his _**Karma Demon: Iron Spiral **_to help him catch up Hansuke.

The orange haired individual barely had enough time to move out of the way before he nearly was impaled by Gajeel. However, the sudden maneuver made him lose balance and consequently crash onto the platforms. Jumping back to his feet, coughing a bit from the force of the impact, Hansuke glared at the general direction Gajeel was headed. "_**Hellfire Dragon King's Wings**__."_ He whispered to himself. The red-black wings sprouted from his back, at the same time as the others began to close the distance. With his left foot half a step back, Hansuke crouched down and concentrated.

When he could hear the breaths of his opponents, Hansuke snapped open his eyes and took off, creating a massive gust of wind that blew the others to the ground. The thrust being produced from his wings, along with the boosters on his limbs, were more than enough for him to overtake Gajeel. Seeing Hansuke near the finish line, Gajeel increased the channeling of his magic into his spell, causing his speed to increase as well. At the final kilometer of the race, they were once again neck-on-neck.

They were only 250 metres away from the finish line when suddenly the turbulence produced by Gajeel made Hansuke loose balance in the air. In attempts to steady himself, Hansuke hit Gajeel head-on and caused both of them to crash painfully into the ground. "Ouch, that look like that hurt." Chapati commentated.

The two of them are seen rising from their respective craters, a fire of hatred and anger dancing in their eyes. They bared their teeth at each other, low growls reverberating from their throats. Moments pass by before they moved, walking sideways in a circular path, never taking their sight from their opponent. After a full circuit, they stopped moving. Then, in a blink of an eye, they lunged at each other with magic flowing from their fists. Their knuckles connected, creating a massive shockwave that could be felt from the announcer's booth.

"Such display of strength, it's amazing. However, the finish line is nearly 200 metres away, why aren't they making a mad dash for it?" Chapati queried.

"I have no idea, but this isn't like Fairy Tail's usual senseless squabbles. These two men have a look of hostility on their face, so there must be a situation from within Fairy Tail that caused this anger to arise. Though, it won't be long before we are forced to bring out the authorities." Yajima provided a guess. He didn't know how accurate he was.

"This isn't right." Jason mumbled into his microphone, actually being serious for once. "This isn't how Fairy Tail treats each other."

Meanwhile, Gajeel and Hansuke jumped back from each other. Both men flared their magic to high levels, scaring many of the spectators. To Hansuke's surprise, Gajeel cancelled his magic, but maintained his stance. The look in his eyes spoke for the Iron Dragon Slayer. '_No magic._'

The orangette reluctantly released his magic and adopted a martial arts stance. He was caught by surprise when Gajeel was almost instantaneously face to face with him. Hansuke barely put up his arm to block a numbing blow from his opponent. He saw another punch coming and angled his arm so that the punch would slide off his blocking arm. Seeing the opening that Gajeel made from his mistake, Hansuke jabbed him in the face. The _Tetsu no Metsuryū_ stumbled backwards, providing more opportunities for Hansuke to hit him.

Not wasting a perfect opportunity, Hansuke went in for the kill. Unfortunately for him, it was a ruse by Gajeel. As Hansuke made a mad dash to tackle Gajeel to the ground, he was barely able to hear the iconic "Gihi." His eyes widened as he forced himself to stop, but he was too late. Gajeel spun around and kneed Hansuke in the stomach. The latter mage doubled over, giving Gajeel a chance to grab a hold of his upper body. He lifted the younger man in the air, so that Hansuke's legs were upright and pointing up while his shoulders were against Gajeel's face, before Gajeel dropped himself on his back. A moment after the impact, Hansuke began to writhe around in pain, his hands darting to his lower back.

"You should've stayed out of my way." Gajeel lowly whispered to the man in pain. He stood up and dusted himself as he walked towards the finish line. His nose suddenly twitched, but he was too slow to react to Hansuke grabbing the collar of his clothing. Hansuke on the other hand was furious at Gajeel, a grudge that he'd kept to himself for quite a while. Though after his flames of passion were stoked by the fight he knew it could no longer be contained. He threw Gajeel into a building behind him. When Gajeel impacted said building, Hansuke dove in and grabbed him once more.

"You should've tried harder to prevent Natsu's excommunication, but all you did was yell at Makarov along with many others. You didn't even try to reason with him or negotiate." Hansuke then threw him up and punched him into another building. In his fury, he ignored the other competitors reaching the finish line before him. Then, a foot hit Hansuke in the gut, causing him to fly into a building on the other side.

"The same can be said about you, but you don't see the others whining about it." Gajeel said, cracking his stiff neck. "I was expecting you to be more mature about this as you are Salamander's apprentice, but I was proven wrong by your childish hypocrisy and blind anger." He then noticed some movement from the rubble. With his enhanced hearing, he was able to hear a murmur from the orangette.

"You got something to say to me? Say it to my face, hatchling." Gajeel taunted. Bad move.

"**SHUT UP!**" A burst of fire caused the house to explode and shortly after, an enormous stream of fire was headed towards Gajeel. Knowing that he won't have enough time to evade the flames, Gajeel activated his _**Adamantine Dragon Scales**_ and wished for the best.

"Oh my, what a display of magic power." Chapati commentated, his eyes wide after seeing the gigantic torrent.

Down on the ground, there was smoke blocking Hansuke's line of sight. His senses were going overdrive, trying to pinpoint Gajeel's location. He picked up his scent 3 times already, but as soon as he did, the smoke overpowered it. Hurried footsteps were heard from behind him, so Hansuke blindly roared at the general direction. To his surprise, no one was there.

"Looking for me?" The orange-haired dragonslayer crossed his arms while he turned around to block Gajeel's powerful punch. The smile on Gajeel's face was all Hansuke needed to tell him that he screwed up. The iron dragon slayer pivoted his body and slammed his right foot on Hansukes exposed abdomen. The younger dragon slayer coughed up saliva as he was sent flying, by coincidence, towards the finish line. Hansuke twisted himself mid-air so that he would land upright. He looked up and saw Gajeel jumping in the air, with his hand cocked backwards, heading towards him. As Gajeel closed in on Hansuke, the orangette jumped and turned his body so that his back would be facing Gajeel. He took the blow full-force, but it didn't matter, all that did was he was going to finally shove some respect into Gajeel's head. So as they were airborne, Hansuke grabbed Gajeel by the head and as they fell down, slammed it to the ground.

"**RKO OUT OF NOWHERE!**" Chapati yelled in excitement, deafening Yajima in the process as well as half the spectators of the event. Hansuke was sitting down and was pumping his fists in victory. Gajeel on the other hand was experiencing a killer headache from the impact. Standing up, and ignoring his bodies cries of agony in the process, he cocked his head back and….

"_**Dual Dragon's Roar!**_" A torrent of gray and black escaped Gajeel's mouth. The close proximity between the two meant that Hansuke had no time to react to a torrent of iron shards and silver chunks of adamantium flew his direction. An explosion was produced and the crowd was ecstatic at the display of magic. The dust cloud settled and there was a trench produced by the roar, with Gajeel on one side a heavily injured Hansuke on the other. Breathing harshly from the exertion, Gajeel fell to one knee. His heart raced even more when he saw Hansuke slowly stand up, with a red aura surrounding him.

'_Damn it, damn it, s***, f***. How could I forget about his other element?!_' Gajeel tried to raise his arms in a defensive manner. However, a sharp pain tore through his head, making him waver and fall to a knee. The crazed Hansuke sported a feral grin when he saw Gajeel's state and made two axes materialize out of the red aura surrounding him. The iron dragon slayer stumbled back a bit when he saw his young opponent run at speeds that almost matched Jet's. He crossed his arms and hoped that it would be enough to prevent a fatal blow. Hansuke never made it to his destination for he was flipped onto the ground by a raven-haired woman clad in armour.

"What are you doing here Erza?" Gajeel wheezed out as he unceremoniously slammed butt-first on the ground. The knight-mage gave him a blank look before punching Hansuke in the face to knock him out.

"Gajeel! Are you alright?" Levy slid to Gajeel's side and began to look over him for any injuries.

"I'm fine, Levy." The burly man gave her a quick pat on the head to prove his point, causing Levy to pout at him. He then turned to face Erza. "Thanks." Erza nodded, her face was completely blank, before she walked away while dragging Hansukes unmoving body by the collar.

'_I sure hope that Natsu carries out the plan in time. Each passing day, his mate grows progressively worse._' Gajeel thought as he watched Erza walk away. Levy saw the look in Gajeel's eyes and felt horrible. She treated Erza like absolute trash back then. Now that Natsu is possibly permanently gone from Erza's life, Levy can't muster up the courage to say sorry for what she said and what she did to Erza.

"I'm the worst." She muttered to herself, but Gajeel heard it.

"What do you mean?" He said, picking himself up and extending his hand so Levy could take it.

"You shouldn't be over exerting yourself, especially with your injuries." Levy reprimanded him, trying to change the subject as he helped her up.

"Gihi, have I ever told you that I was also an actor before I was a musician?" An exclamation point burst out of Levy's head at the newfound information (like when enemies find you in MGS4). "Besides that, you shouldn't change the subject. It's really irritating, and I thought that we agreed to at least be as truthful to each other as we could when I claimed you as mine."

"But…." Levy began, but she caught herself because she knew that Gajeel was one hundred percent correct. She sighed in defeat. Then she punched Gajeel in the gut when she heard him say 'I finally beat her in an argument' in his head, courtesy of the telepathy that Gajeel completely forgot about. "When I said that I was the worst, I was reliving memories of my treatment of her after the incident. I was so unfair to her, treating her as if she was trash. Now it's too late for me to take everything I have said and everything that I have done back."

"It's never too late for you to apologize Levy." Gajeel wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked towards Fairy Tail's platform. "It just takes a lot of courage and understanding from you and the other person for an apology to be made."

"I guess." She said, her shoulders slumped in sadness and regret. "Wait, you were acting when you were fighting Hansuke?"

"Yeah, what of it?" A smirk crept up on Gajeel's face as they entered a corridor leading to Fairy Tail's platform.

"I was so convinced that you were getting your butt getting handed over. In fact, I was contemplating whether or not I made the right choice being your mate since you were weaker than a kid that is way more inexperienced in dragon slayer magic than you." Gajeel's arm leaving her shoulder and a thud made Levy stop and turn to her mate. The iron dragon slayer was kneeling on his hands and knees as an aura of depression settled around him.

"I shouldn't have acted that I was getting exhausted too quickly." He recited to himself, as if it was a mantra. Levy sweatdropped as she tried to comfort him.

"Why did you even act during the fight in the first place?" Levy asked as soon as Gajeel stopped lamenting.

"I wanted Hansuke to vent his anger a bit. He's been holding it in for a long time and it's the main reason why he lashed out at us a week ago. Now that his head's been cleared, there won't be many more problems because he can think clearly now." He explained.

"So basically you let him think he beat you so he could vent his anger? How considerate of you…~" She said, her last statement had a teasing tone to it.

"Pfft, I only did it because he needs to focus on winning us some more points rather than how to beat everyone up after the games." Gajeel quickly defended himself.

"Right," Levy giggled. "Since you only did it because we needed more points, I guess it's safe to deprive you of your favorite meal." Gajeel stopped in his tracks and simply stared in shock as Levy walked away. Meanwhile, Hansuke was at the process of being handed over to Porlyusica in the infirmary.

"Thank you Erza, you prevented a catastrophe from occurring." Makarov thanked the knight, but she quietly turned around and walked towards the door. As soon as her hand wrapped around the door knob, Makarov spoke once again. "We're all still hurting from his expulsion. He was the heart of the guild, and not a day passes without me regretting my decision. I know that you suffered the most, and I am sorry for what I have done. If you want, we could issue a search party with you as the leader so that you may see him again." To his surprise, Erza shook her head before leaving the room. '_What I have done? I made a decision that I thought would be the best for the guild, but it backfired and now the guild is half-dead in sorrow. Gajeel, your plan better work. I don't want Erza to suffer any longer.'_

'_I don't want to see Erza like this as much as you do, but remember that total secrecy is needed for it to succeed._' Laxus whispered in Makarov's mind.

'_I can't take it anymore. Seeing the hollow shell of who we knew as Erza Scarlet become more and more unstable and hollow as each day goes by is making my old heart crumble._' Makarov retorted.

'_And if Gajeel's plan fails, or if it was never even made, you wouldn't even see Erza alive. Be grateful that what she is experiencing can be fixed._'

* * *

On the other side of the door, Erza was leaning against the door with a hand on her mouth as she fought an internal battle. She was having a tough time reeling in her emotions, trying to be the same stone-cold character she was before the Tower of Heaven's destruction by Team Natsu's efforts. At the moment, she was torn between anger and sorrow. She was angry at her master, her mentor and pretty much figurative father for even suggesting that she would try to meet with the idiot that deserted her. How dare he talk about Natsu in front of her.

However, she couldn't help but be sad at the memories she and Natsu shared with one another. She wanted to make more memories with him, to be with him again, even if her ailing heart doesn't want to open up again.

A few minutes pass before she regained her composure. Erza wiped the stray tears that leaked out her eyes while walking towards the platform, just in time to hear the victor of the last fight.

"**AND THE VICTOR IS KUROHEBI OF RAVEN TAIL**!" Erza let her composure slip for a moment to grimace at the guild's name. Ever since she has heard of its transition to a light guild, Erza has been very wary of Raven Tail. Now that she was competing against them, she couldn't shake off the feeling that they were up to something bad.

She was so deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice someone shooting up from their seat and spilling beer all over her. Why did this happen? Probably because they were angered by Kurohebi's display of complete apathy towards winning. That didn't matter now, all that mattered was that someone has probably invoked the wrath of Titania. At that moment, the entirety of Fairy Tail was frozen in shock. Except for Mavis since she never could experience the fury of Erza.

"H-h-hey Erza, s-s-s-sorry about that." The who had spilt beer on her was none other than Wakaba Mine. Good luck, brother.

Erza's eyes were currently shadowed by her hair, making it very difficult to figure out if she was mad or not. Everyone held their breath, confusing Mavis, as precious seconds pass by. To their surprise, Erza simply exhaled exhaustedly, requipped a towel and dried off her hair. When she was done, she stared at Wakaba with blank eyes - taking note that everyone was still staring at her and were beginning to turn blue - before waving him off and walking to the railings to get a better view of the arena.

"I nearly died….." Wakaba whispered to himself as he stared at his empty beer mug.

"All of us nearly did." Macao whispered back, patting his friend on the shoulder as he stared at Erza. A lone tear threatening to fall out of his eye as his life flashed before his eyes for the third time since Erza had been drenched.

* * *

"**OUR NEXT COMPETITORS ARE ELFMAN STRAUSS FROM FAIRY TAIL A AGAINST BACCHUS GROH OF QUATRO CERBERUS.**" Chapati announced, earning a large applause from the crowd as the mentioned competitors went to the arena's centre where Mato was waiting for them.

"You both should know the rules by know, kabo," Mato said, "But by regulation, I have go over them with you once more, kabo. Matches are 30 minutes long, winner receives 10 points, kabo. If the match is to end in a tie, both competitors are to receive 5 points, kabo. All right, show us all a good time, kabo!" Mato ran from the centre and jumped into a 'safe zone' as the two mages glared at each other.

"Since everyone's been having wagers, it would be a shame if we were to put a stop to it." Bacchus started, attempting to crack the ice.

"I agree, it's not man to turn down a wager!" Elfman nodded in agreement, not catching Bacchus sweat dropping at his speech pattern.

"Alright, if I win, your sisters are mine." Elfman's eyes widened as Bacchus licked his lips suggestively. "Both of them, at the same time." A fist then met with his cheek and he was sent flying into the air.

"No one, no matter how manly or unmanly they are, has the right to speak about my sisters like that." His body glowed as he performed a Take-Over. Then he jumped up, causing a crater to be formed from the force of the jump. The light disappeared and the Beast was released. When they were the same altitude, Elfman punched Bacchus again towards the ground. As Bacchus fell, he corrected himself so that he would land on his feet.

"This guy sure is wild." Bacchus mused to himself as he stared at Elfman's falling hulk with a feral grin. The moment Elfman landed, Bacchus lunged towards him. The Take-Over mage saw this and raised his arm in an attempt to squash Bacchus before he could reach him. Unfortunately, by the time Elfman's fist impacted the ground, Bacchus had already landed a couple of powerful blows on Elfman's body. The large man grunted in pain, his knees buckled a little, but he wasn't going to just let Bacchus win.

"You stated your terms, let me state mine." Elfman turned around to face Bacchus, who raised an eyebrow. "If I win, your guild has to be called Quatro Puppies for the rest of the games."

"I accept your wild terms!" Bacchus exclaimed, clearly very excited. Once again, the S-class mage of Quatro Cerberus was up close and personal against Elfman. He thrusted an open palm at Elfman, but what the burly man did surprised him. The giant of a man _parried_ his strike, the first parry by a mage in Bacchus' experience as a martial artist. '_Does he have martial arts training?_'

"_**Take-Over: Weretiger!**_" Elfman changed form, and took the martial artist's momentary lapse of surprise as an opportunity to strike back. An uppercut to the chin should do the trick. But the punch never landed. Bacchus flipped backwards and kicked Elfman's lower jaw to dodge the burly fist. '_Didn't see that coming.'_

Elfman extended his arm and when he felt it come into contact with hard ground, he pushed himself off so that he could land upright. "Impressive, my assumptions are correct. You've been trained by a professional in martial arts. Who is your master?" Bacchus said.

"His name is Udyr and martial arts is not all that he taught me." Elfman lunged towards Bacchus. The man was prepared to intercept the Strauss, but was surprised when Elfman changed his trajectory at the last second by hopping to the right. Bacchus had no time to bring up his arms to block the punch and was forced to take it like a man. (puns) (Innuendos too! Gihihi)1

"I should really stop playing around…." Elfman heard Bacchus talk to himself as he stood up. Then the smaller man got into a fighting stance, with both of his arms extended like wings with palms up and open.

"Martial Arts it is." Elfman widened his stance and held his arms to his sides with the claws facing Bacchus' direction. The both of them stared down at each other before taking off.

Elfman threw the first strike, one of his claws slashing at Bacchus diagonally. His opponent side stepped out of the way and slammed one of his palms on Elfman's back. The Weretiger lurched forward, rolling before jumping backwards and twisting himself so that he would face Bacchus. The Quatro Cerberus mage smiled and tried to swat Elfman away. However, Elfman had other plans. He clawed in an upwards 'X' to force Bacchus to step back. Unfortunately for Bacchus, the claws cut right through the purple armour he wore around his arms and drew blood. Furthermore, Elfman's momentum made him barrel into Bacchus.

Bacchus dug his feet to the ground to stop the both of them from going further. Then he rolled to his back, planted his feet on Elfman's abdomen and kicked him upwards. The kick sent Elfman about 25 feet into the air. When Elfman reached the peak of his ascent, Bacchus was there to greet him with a good ol' axe kick to the face. Elfman impacted the hard ground and created a dust cloud as well as an Elfman-shaped crater. Bacchus landed not far from the impact zone. He walked into the dust cloud and peered into the crater. Once the dust settled he warily realized the crater was completely deserted.

"Eh?" Was all Bacchus could say before something grabbed him by the neck.

"Surprise." Elfman smirked at the surprised drunkard. He reared his arms and used his manly biceps to their best abilities. Throwing the other martial artist with such force that the dust cloud dissipated, Elfman ran at high speeds to catch up to Bacchus. When Bacchus hit the wall, he ricocheted a bit, but Elfman came and slammed his fist in Bacchus' stomach to push him back against the wall and pushed harder to drive him deeper into the wall. Then Elfman grabbed Bacchus, lightly tossed him in the air, and clawed the man to the ground. 4 long cuts appeared on the left side of Bacchus' thanks to Elfman's claws.

Elfman was about to punch Bacchus again when a palm struck him at the chest then at the nose. The large man stumbled back, clutching his sensitive nose as he glared at the rising form of the master of Drunken Cleaving Hook Palm technique.

"Damn, you hit really hard." Bacchus chuckled as he cracked his neck, "How were you able to hide your magical presence."

"A tiger is a natural hunter, it's instincts and genetics made it such that it can hide its presence from its prey. With my Weretiger Take-Over, I am able to hide my presence as well. Magical pressure and scent are no longer something my opponent seeks. Sight would be your only sense that is the most helpful." Elfman explained.

"You're a really wild opponent, wild enough for me to get serious." Elfman raised an eyebrow. Then with a burst of speed that made Bacchus seemingly disappear into thin air, Bacchus zipped past Elfman and grabbed the gourd he was carrying previously. "Bottoms up!" Bacchus took a nice long swig from his gourd. When his lips separated from the lips of the gourd, his cheeks had a reddish haze upon them. He swayed side to side for a moment before he ran full speed towards Elfman.

Elfman was surprised by the sudden assault by Bacchus, but was excited for a longer, and consequently manlier, fight. He tried to swipe the running man, but Bacchus fell on his knees and slid underneath Elfman's enormous arm. As the Quatro Cerberus slid, he managed to land hits on Elfman's legs, making him buckle to the ground. A sudden back hand caught Bacchus by surprise and forced him back, giving Elfman some breathing room.

"_**Spirit of The Beast.**_" Red wisps of magic began to dance around Elfman's enormous form.

"Oh?" Bacchus watched in wonder as the wisps began to wrap around Elfman's arms, coating it with a transparent red sleeve. Bacchus launched towards Elfman, his opponent doing the same. An open palm met a closed fist. Bacchus was perplexed when his arm was forced back at the unexpected power of Elfman's punch. Then Elfman threw another punch, but Bacchus parried it flawlessly. The parry caused Elfman to stumble on his own feet. It provided Bacchus an opening to attack Elfman while his defenses are down. As Bacchus mercilessly attacked Elfman, he began to feel a stinging sensation on his palms. He quickly stopped and jumped away to assess his palms. His eyes widened when he saw that his palms had some scratches on them.

"Hehehe.." Bacchus raised his head to see Elfman shakily stand up. It was then Bacchus noticed that a green transparent layer that looked like scales covered the Weretigers body. "_**Spirit of the Lizardman**_"

"You're really wild…. This is the most fun I've had for a long time." A feral grin formed on Bacchus' face. Elfman also smiled, with a bit more of an animalistic touch to it. Then Elfman's eyes widened when Bacchus appeared in front of him due to the drunken master's speed. He threw a punch, only for Bacchus to jump on his arm. He jumped in the air and then nailed Elfman on the head with a powerful axe kick. Afterwards, Bacchus bombarded Elfman repeatedly on the body. Kick after kick, punch after punch. The Weretiger couldn't retaliate and when he tried, the more agile S-class mage would evade the counter attack then punish Elfman severely. As the blows rained upon the helpless Take-Over mage, the green layer of scales dissipated from the constant assault.

_*smash*_

The protective layer of magic exploded, leaving Elfman exposed. "Checkmate." Was all Elfman heard before his body exploded in pain from what felt like a million magic infused blows bombarding him. After the assault, the Take-Over mage collapsed, unconcious.

"**BACCHUS IS THE VICTOR!**" Chapati yelled into his microphone. The crowd went absolutely nuts, Quatro Cerberus members were dancing in joy, Fairy Tail mates rushed to hide and protect Mira and Lisanna.

"You were really wild, I'll try to be gentle with your sisters." Bacchus said to the downed mage before making his way to Fairy Tail's platform.

'_Sisters._' Elfman's fingers twitched, Bacchus noticed it.

'_Both._' The Strauss brother's right hand clenched into a fist. The crowd went silent.

'_Mine._' Elfman pushed himself up, and began to stand up.

'_Same time.'_ Now fully upright, Elfman's eyes were shadowed by his hair and the crowd was slack-jawed at his sudden tenacity.

"Unbelievable, Elfman Strauss is still able to fight. This is an amazing turn of events, ladies and gentlemen." Chapati managed to say, for he was among the slack jawed spectators.

"This is what Fairy Tail truly is." Yajima said, a smile growing on his face. Down on the arena, Elfman was still unmoving.

"You're tougher than I thought, but you wouldn't be a Fairy Tail mage if you weren't full of surprises." Bacchus said.

"You've made a horrible mistake." The Take-Over mage lowly muttered.

"How so?"

"You spoke about my sisters in such a manner that I find disgusting. My sisters are women that are to be treated with respect and are not to be the focus of a man with such an inappropriate imagination. You simply crossed the line the moment you made that wager with me." Elfman performed a Take-Over, blinding people with light. Bacchus didn't want the fight to drag on, so he attacked Elfman. Unfortunately for him, he was punched by a scaled hand when he got too close.

"_**Beast Soul: Lizardman.**_" Then a yellow aura surrounded him. "_**Spirit of the Weretiger.**_" Bacchus saw Elfman's Take-Over and couldn't help but grin maniacally. He finally found someone that was fun to fight against. His previous experiences with other mages were dull and boring. Even the small bout he had with Erza years ago was short and dull, since she gave him a beat down due to an 'indecent comment'.

"Let's finish this!" Bacchus said with a smile. Then he took his gourd and emptied the remaining contents into his stomach. The buzz from the alcohol made his cheeks a heavier shade of red. His posture slackened and he swayed heavily. Bacchus raised his head just in time to see Elfman drop his massive right hand upon him. He back flipped then thrust an open palm at Elfman's lower abdomen. It made Elfman flinch, but it also aggravated him even further. The lizardman tried to elbow the drunkard, but he dodged the blow. With his other hand, Elfman managed to grab hold on one of Bacchus' arms. He lifted the smaller man and slammed him against the ground.

"HAHAHAHA!" Bacchus drunkenly laughed when he was hefted into the air once more. When his back dented the ground again, he grabbed the arm that held him and flipped the owner. Knowing that hitting Elfman would only further injure his hands, the drunken master put the massive man in a choke hold. Somehow cutting off the flow of air in the Strauss' massive neck. Said mage tried to punch Bacchus off, but he kept moving his head to prevent such a thing from happening. Then, in a stroke of luck, Elfman managed to pry off Bacchus by grabbing his leg, falling on his back to crush him, and then kicking him away. Very classy indeed.

"Elfman, you're WILD." Bacchus said before launching himself towards his target. Seeing this, Elfman spun around and managed to successfully land a powerful 'tornado back elbow' on Bacchus' nose. Said blow was surprisingly enough to knock the drunkard down for the count.

"**UNBELIEVABLE!** Elfman Strauss defeated S-class mage Bacchus in a wonderful display of magical combat. Any comments from my fellow commentators?" Chapati looked to his right and was shocked to see the catatonic state of Yajima and Jason. "Yajima-san? Jason?"

"**MAAAAAAN!**" Elfman roared out with the last of his energy before falling over, exhaustion finally catching up with him. Fortunately, a certain brunette caught him in time.

"You stupid oaf… You had me worried there." Evergreen chided before smiling warmly at the sleeping Strauss. "Looks like I lost, but you owe me for leaving me alone to tell the others." The large man stirred in his slumber, startling Evergreen. Then outta nowhere, Mira and Lisanna slid to Elfman's side to make sure their lovable brother was still alright.

"Is he alright?" Mira frantically asked, even though she knew that it would take a lot to hurt him. Being the eldest means that one must take extra precautions when the safety of their siblings is the topic at hand.

"He's just tired." Evergreen replied. Both of the sisters sighed in relief. Then, Mira noticed something.

"How is it that you are the first person to reach our brother?" Mira asked, with a rare serious look on her face.

"I took a shortcut." Evergreen replied, rather too quickly.

"Where was the shortcut?" Lisanna inquired, helping her sister with the interrogation.

"The shortcut was jumping from the platform."

"You say that, yet I have never seen you on the platform." Mira smiled maliciously and Evergreen slightly stiffened. "In fact, I believe I saw you come out of one of the corridors that lead to the arena as you went to Elfman."

"Evergreen….." Lisanna said with a sharp edge to her voice. "Why were you at one of the Entrances to the arena? Were you waiting for Elfman so that you could give him a kiss on the lips for a victory?"

"What?! Where'd you get that idea from?"

"Well, for one the blush on your cheeks are a clue." Mira pointed out, making Evergreen slap her cheeks in attempts to calm down her blush. "Secondly, we've all know that you've liked Elfman for a while. Ever since Tenrou Island seven years ago, we noticed you two exchange short glances accompanied with momentary blushes."

"Alright, I give… But you've got one thing wrong."

"And what's that?" Both sisters asked at the same time.

"I don't _like_ Elfman, I love that oaf of a man. Furthermore, we've been dating for a year now." The look on Mira and Lisanna''s faces reminded Evergreen of fish out of water. Evergreen took this as an opportunity to leave, she never got far because Mira had a death grip on her wrist.

"We'll have a girl-to-girl chat about this later, but first we have to bring take him to Porlyusica." Mira glared at Evergreen before putting one of Elfman's arms over her shoulder and standing up. Evergreen went to Elfman's other arm and helped Mira carry him to the infirmary. Neither mage noticed that Lisanna was still sitting down in shock.

"Uhhh, miss….." Mato nudged Lisanna, bringing her out of her shock. She slightly jumped when she saw the pumpkin head staring at her. "You should leave now, the next fight is going to start, kabo."

"Oh sorry, t-thank you." Lisanna quickly stammered out before running into the corridor that Mira and Evergreen took.

"It seems that our next match is going to be interesting." Yajima spoke to the microphone.

"If you meant 'interesting' as in 'hot', then it sure is going to be." Chapati shouted out, hearts on his eyes. "Our next match is going to be between Mirajane Strauss of Fairy Tail B and Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus." Jenny jumped from her platform, landing gracefully, and walked to the centre. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Mira, who has just left the infirmary and on her way to the stadium.

"Sorry I'm late." Mira shouted as she ran towards the centre.

"It's alright, kabo." Mato then explained the rules to them, staying true to protocol. Both Sorceress Weekly models were engulfed in light. Many of the spectators expected them to starting beating each other half to death once the light receded. Unfortunately, or fortunately for all the men, the ladies were clad in bikinis and were posing as if they were being photographed by Jason.

"**HOOOOOOOOOOOT!**" The male populace that were watching this magnificent spectacle yelled at the top of their lungs in unison. Light guild mages, dark guild mages, civilians, rogue mages, wandering mages, and the occasional woman that watched the 'fight' on Lacrima-vision were panting like dogs at the moment. No one blames them. Soon after, many of the women in other guilds joined in, believing the fight to be an opportunity to show off their beauty to the world (or get points for their team, whatever floats your boat). Then, Chapati picked the last category for the women to dress in.

"**WEDDING DRESSES!**" He yelled into the mic with blood leaking out of his nose. As soon as he said that, all the women were clad in various wedding dresses with a man to their side clad in a tuxedo. However, this had an effect on Erza because if you looked at her at this moment, her eyes had a far away look to them.

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

"What do you think about that message that was given to master today?" Erza asked Natsu as they walked back home with a sleeping Happy in her arms.

"I don't know, but I hope that there won't be a disaster when we meet them." Natsu replied, and Erza nodded in agreement. As they walked through the quiet streets of an asleep Magnolia, something caught Erza's eye.

In one of the windows of a shop, there was a wedding dress. The gown reminded her of old images of princesses that she saw in some of her books. If she were to describe the dress in one word, she would say that the dress was elegant. The bodice hugged tightly to the mannequin and the lack of straps seemed to fit well with the mannequin's bust as well as accentuate the shoulders and the neck. A gold ribbon was wrapped around the waist and gold lace bordered the top of the bodice. The skirt was simple, with the exception of the gold stitches in the shape of roses at the hemline which was touching the floor. A secondary, translucent layer overlapped the skirt, making it look bigger than it is. The mannequin's hands and forearms were covered by white gloves that ended halfway to the elbow. Upon the mannequin's head, there was a tiara which held the veil and the train. It was silver with a singular amethyst as its centrepiece. (**I suck at describing dresses, sorry**). **I would fix it but I suck at describing dresses too. Sorry, not sorry.**

"Wow.." Erza whispered to herself, not knowing that she was standing in the middle of the street while Natsu kept walking.

"Erza?" Natsu called out, thinking that she was still beside him and being quiet. When he couldn't find her, he had a short bout of panic which derived from his first time losing her. Natsu immediately calmed down when he saw her staring intently at a dress with wonder in her eyes. With a smirk on his face, he walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. "When you think that the time is right, you're going to be wearing that. I know that you'll look beautiful in it."

The kiss should've brought her back to her senses. If not, his sweet words are bound to bring her back to reality. "Sorry." She sheepishly muttered before walking back home with her love. Not without casting another longing glance at the dress.

* * *

_*shnk*_

A longsword embedded itself at the ground in front of Mirajane and Jenny. The blonde was sweating at how close the sword nearly hit her while the barmaid looked at the source. Erza stood at the platform with an outstretched arm, not minding how some of her guildmates cowered before her. The weird thing was that her eyes were as hollow as ever and her face was blank. Seeing her friend act this way, Mira went over in her mind on what could've gotten her to react like this.

When her eyes laid upon her dress, she looked at Erza one last time before nodding and replacing it with her standard dress. The Fairy Tail mages saw this and followed her lead before heading out to move back to their platform (**No, they didn't change in front of the crowd, let's just say that there was a form of catalog magic during Mira's fight that allowed girls to temporarily requip**). **Let's say that but imagine something else. Gihihi2** Soon after, the arena was clear of beautiful women save for Jenny and Mirajane. Chapati and his little crew looked a bit sad, but acted professionally. "What was that about?!" Jenny shrieked in confusion.

"Nothing, just felt like we had to change." Mira politely replied.

"I meant why did Titania Erza attempt to attack us from outside the arena?" Jenny hysterically questioned.

"Oh, she's just a little impatient for a good butt-kicking from Fairy Tail."

"If you ask me, she just can't stand seeing people going lovey-dovey after her boyfriend dumped her."

"Pardon me." Mira's smile faltered slightly, not that Jenny was paying attention.

"Don't play coy, you of all people should know about the biggest scandal in the magic world. The Salamander dumping Titania when he was expelled from Fairy Tail."

"How many people know this? Natsu's expulsion was supposed to be a private matter of the guild." Mira's angelic smile disappeared and was replaced by a confused yet sinister look on her face.

"Well someone must've leaked info to Sorcerer's Weekly. As of right now, it's the most talked about article in Fiore ever since its publishing two weeks ago." Jenny adopted a smirk, trying to taunt Mira.

"The information was kept in the dark in respect of Erza's feelings, whoever leaked it is a heartless person." Mira quickly darted her eyes at the commentator's box and Jason suddenly felt a shiver go up his spine.

"Feelings, pfft. She should suck it up, quit acting like a heartbroken child, and move on like most women. To be honest, seeing her like this makes me lose the majority of the respect I once had for the supposed strongest female wizard in Fiore." A chuckle from Raven Tail's Alexei and Sabertooth's Jiemma was heard by the people around them. However, they stopped when a massive burst of magic exploded from Mira.

"Belittle her again… I dare you, I double dare you m***********." (**Reference anyone?**) Mira spoke darkly, a purple aura danced around her form dangerously.

"What are you gonna do about it? I guess I could play along though," Jenny rambled, not caring how the aura around Mira grew as she spoke. "Erza Scarlet is an emotionally, mentally and physically weak woman who can't even get over a break up with her boyfriend because she's too scared and weak to be alone in a big, bad world. She should get over herself or quit being a mage if she can't even handle a little heartbreak. I bet he had a little d*** anyway!" The crowd stared at her with fear in her eyes as Mira's magical aura reached new heights in strength.

May her soul find peace.

"**YOU'RE FINISHED!**" Mira transformed into Sitri and lunged towards a vulnerable Jenny. The blonde barely had enough time to duck out of the way. As she rolled, Jenny transformed into her Battle Form and stared at Mira in shock.

"_**Evil Explosion!**_" Jenny's eyes widened when a stream of powerful darkness magic came barreling towards her. She jumped to the right, but the explosion that the spell created made her stumble forwards. Pain erupted in her stomach and she was face to face with the dangerous eyes of She-Demon Mirajane.

"Never belittle the ones I care about." Fighting through the pain, Jenny punched Mira in the face. The demon stumbled back, a little dazed from the surprise punch. Then a malicious grin grew on her face as she gathered magic in her palms. "_**Darkness Shockwave**_." Mira punched the ground in front of her and cracks appeared. The cracks began to make their way towards Jenny as if they were snakes crawling towards their next meal. Jenny tried to fly away, but the blonde model was hit from behind by Mira. She hit the cracks and was surprised when the area around her exploded in Dark Magic.

Calmly walking towards her opponent, Mira crouched over the Blue Pegasus mage. "Do you yield?" She asked.

"Y-y-yes." The runner up for Miss Fiore of many years croaked out, fighting unconsciousness.

"I'm not letting you off the hook _Jenny_. I expect you to personally apologize the very woman you disrespected before I can even consider forgiving you." Mira whispered to her 'rival' before walking away from her.

"**THE WINNER IS MIRAJANE STRAUSS! FAIRY TAIL B RECEIVES 10 POINTS!**" Chapati yelled out while Mato helped Jenny up. Fairy Tail's platform was celebrating at another victory, but failed to notice Erza slip away.

The raven haired beauty quietly walked through the empty corridors of the large stadium's interior. When she reached the infirmary doors, a dainty hand rested upon her pauldrons making her stiffen. "Erza, I know that you are struggling and Jenny's words made it worse. Just remember that if you need to talk, I'm here for you. I'll gladly listen to anything you have to say." Mira softly said, hoping to make her friend more comfortable. She remained quiet when Erza took her hand and lifted it off of her pauldron. Erza turned her head to meet Mira's eyes and the barmaid couldn't be more heartbroken yet proud at that moment.

A very faint ghost of a smile appeared on her features and a miniscule twinkle of happiness shone in her eyes. As soon as they appeared, they were gone when Erza turned around and entered the infirmary. "The usual?" Mira overheard from behind the wooden door. She can only guess that Erza nodded because footsteps were heard walking around. Not wanting to make Erza feel uncomfortable, Mira walked away. But she left an invisible snare at the door just in case Erza does anything rash.

The knight left the infirmary before she continued walking in the stadium's hallways. She wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings and before she knew it, she was in front of her hotel room. A quiet sigh escaped her lips when she opened the door. Erza slowly made her way to the bed and requipped into more comfortable sleepwear. Then she summoned a small wooden bottle as well as a bottle of water. From the wooden bottle, she pulled out two pills, popped them into her mouth and took a gulp of water. She laid down in bed and let the medication from the pills lull her into a peaceful sleep.

'_Natsu…._' A lone tear fell from her left eye.

* * *

"How's Erza?" Makarov asked Mira the moment she entered the platform.

"She nearly smiled." Was all she could say when a few tears escaped her eyes. Knowing the bond the two had, Makarov could tell how much Erza's current state affected the eldest Strauss. He stood up and put a supportive hand on her shoulder as she softly cried. His eyes on the other hand, were casting a powerful glare towards Raven Tail's platform.

'_They'll pay dearly for hurting my children.'_

* * *

_*ring*_

"Hello?"

"Ah, good afternoon my friend. I take it that you're ready."

"I can't keep this up, so you should be ready yourself."

"By tomorrow, everything we have planned will become a reality."

"Looking forward to it." Then the line went dead.

* * *

"You got any three's?"

"Go fish." A man swore as he was forced to draw a card.

_*groan*_

"Shaddap! You're lucky that the boss' gonna use you as a trump card against Scarlet. If he wasn't the guildmaster, I would've killed you the moment your sorry face got dragged into this place." The man who said 'Go fish' yelled at a shackled figure in the darkness of the dungeon. Let's call this man Mr. Two.

_*ring*_

"Yup?" Another voice answered the call. Let's call him Mr. Three. "Understood…. Boss wants to talk to the pinky." The three men rose from their seats and approached the jail cell.

"Wakey, wakey." Mr. One said, jabbing the prisoner at the stomach with a baton. "Master wants to speak with your sorry ass." Then Mr. Two lifted the prisoner's head up by the hair and Mr. Three moved the lacrima ball in front of him. The lacrima provided minimal light in order for the prisoner's face to be revealed. It was none other than Natsu Dragneel, but he had definitely seen better days. His left eye was swollen shut while the other had a black eye. His face was covered in dried blood that had originated from a wound on the edge of his scalp. At the moment, his eyes were closed and his breathing shallow and accelerated.

"Ah, Mr. Dragneel. I hope that my guild members are being as hospitable as I was." A voice teased from the lacrima.

"..."

"Playing the silent game I see, no matter. Just would like to let you know that your precious Erza will no longer be among the living very soon." Natsu's chains clinked when his arms twitched, making the voice in the lacrima chuckle. "But before we do that, we'll end the life of your friend first." Mr. One snapped his fingers and a torch lit up over another prisoner. A female with blonde hair. The one and only Lucy Heartfilia. Her flawless skin was riddled with bruises, her wrists shackled and her mouth covered with a gag. To add insult to injury, there were fresh tears in her eyes as she was forced to be shackled bare naked.

"Boss, you forgot the best part." Mr. Three reminded the lacrima.

"Oh yes, of course. How could I forget. Being the generous person I am, I will allow you to watch as your precious nakama fight to the death against an army of dark mages. Don't worry, I'll make sure that the last thing they see will be your horrified face." Natsu's right eye snapped open and he tried to lunge at the lacrima and the guards, only to get smacked in the face by a baton.

"Sit yo' ass down!" Mr. Two yelled at Natsu, who in turn growled at him. His animalistic action only got him into more pain as Mr. Two smacked him in the face again.

"Anyways, I hope that you and Ms. Heartfilia will enjoy your last night together for today might be the last for the both of you." The lacrima began to dim as the connection was cut off.

"Now that that's over, let's have some fun."

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia slowly opened her eyes to the sound of flesh getting hit by a hard object. Her breath got stuck on her throat when she saw three men brutally beat Natsu with wooden batons. She was about to make a noise to divert their attention, but a quick glance from Natsu told her to keep quiet. Tears leaked from her eyes as Mr. Three hit Natsu so hard on the head that a cut appeared above an eyebrow and began to bleed pretty badly. Luck wasn't on her side for one of the thugs turned to face her.

"Lookie here guys, Missy is awake." The other two stopped mid swing to stare at Lucy's frightful eyes.

"Heh, about time. Hitting a guy is fun, but there are better options with a lady." He licked his lips and grinned lecherously at her. The three of them began to walk towards her, rubbing their hands together. Fortunately for the celestial wizard, Natsu tripped one of them and kicked him where the sun don't shine. Good thing that these nincompoops didn't even bother to shackle his legs.

"Why you little.." Three swung his baton, hitting Natsu, but traded a hit with the pinkette. Two slammed his baton at Natsu's gut, making the dragon slayer double over, and then hit him behind the head, causing another wound to open.

"Screw this…." One got up, his voice a little higher than normal. "Let's go, don't feel too good right now." Two and Three hesitantly followed One, but not without kicking Natsu a few times. When the jail door closed, Lucy could've sworn that she saw Natsu smile.

_Dayvon135: 1. I'm going to make any of my insertions (A/N's) Like __THIS_ _so you may discern the betareader from the Author. *Nods*_

_2\. If you think I favor Gajeel I don't. No offense to Gajeel lovers out there. I love his laugh though. So I'll be borrowing his Larynx for a while to perform his laugh perfectly. I hope Mashima doesn't mind… Gihihihi_

_AmICrazy: I don't think they'll be mad at you for stealing his laugh… I think they'll be mad at me for depriving them of reading his laugh for so long… Sorry about the Hiatus….. Life is pretty hectic.._

_Dayvon135: Hectic for you? I have a harem and I own thirteen businesses. I have to please them all and maintain my businesses. You have it easy Gaki._

_AmICrazy: Sure.. Sure.. Harem and Business Mogul. I'll believe that when I see it._

_Dayvon135: You want to see it? Google 'Small Loan Of A Million Dollars' and you'll find me. GIHIHIHIHIHI_

_AmICrazy: ..._

_Dayvon135: ._

_AmICrazy: …_

_Dayvon135: .._

_AmICrazy: …_

_Dayvon135: …_

_AmICrazy: …_

_Dayvon135: …. _

_AmICrazy: …_

_Dayvon135: ….. I MADE A PYRAMID OF DOTS_

_AmICrazy: … I think you're drunk. Go home… _

_Dayvon135: Dawtzzz evriwayur *passes out*_


	17. Seek and Destroy

**A/N: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS. THE MAN WHO DOES GOES BY THE NAME OF HIRO MASHIMA.**

* * *

Words: "Words"

Thoughts: '_Thoughts'_

Spells: "_**Spells**_"

Yelling: "**YELLING"**

Non-human being speaking: "**Speaking"**

Soft Sound: _*Soft Sound*_

Loud Sound: ***Loud Sound***

* * *

"**WELCOME, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, TO THE THIRD DAY OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES!**" Chapati screeched into his microphone, clearly excited. His two co-announcers were a bit more reserved with their feelings. "To kick things off, we have our event: Pandemonium!"

(**Describing what Pandemonium is is gonna be a hassle and I'm too lazy so I'll skip it.) **_*Less work for me haha!*_

"Our participants are Obra from Raven Tail, Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale, Orga Nanagear from Sabertooth, Hibiki Lates from Blue Pegasus, Cana Alberona from Fairy Tail B, Nobarly of Quatro Cerberus, Milliana of Mermaid Heel and finally Erza . Er, Yajima-san, it says here that Erza's last name shouldn't be mentioned." Chapati whispered the last part as his hand covered the microphone.

"I talked with Makarov, he simply stated that during the training year something happened to Erza that caused her to cut ties to certain aspects of her past self. Hence the omitting of her last name and her strange, new change of appearance." Yajima explained to Chapati as he glanced warily at the microphone.

"I wonder what could've caused Erza to fabricate a new personality." Chapati mumbled to himself before removing his hand from the mic.

* * *

"Hi Erza-chan!" Milliana cheerfully greeted her sister figure with a big smile on her face. Her smile was replaced by a concerned frown when she saw Erza blankly look at her. "What's wrong? Are you alright?" Erza simply shook her head before walking away, creating distance from Milliana. The cat-lover stared at Erza before a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Don't take it personally. She's been like this every day since something happened about a month ago." Cana stood beside the distraught mage.

"Does it have to do with Natsu leaving her?" Cana visibly stiffened and Erza's posture suddenly tensed as she walked even farther from Milliana.

"Cat-girl—"

"My name is Milliana."

"Okay Milliana, I think you should refrain from bringing that up if Erza is within thirty feet of you. To answer your question, yes it does. Though I hope you can keep a secret since only members of our guild are supposed to know. I see how close you are to her and I think you deserve at least a bit of info." Cana whispered to Milliana, a little paranoid of the other mages around her using it to their advantage against Erza.

'_Erza-dono what has happened to you?_' Jura silently watched Erza walk closer to the Pandemonium's ramp. '_I know the look of a broken heart, and yours seems to have been completely demolished._'

'_What's with her, she went from a force of nature to a pitiful shell of what she one was since the last time I saw her._' Orga scowled as Erza stopped right before the ramp. '_Is Fairy Tail putting up a front so that people will pity them? Utterly disgraceful!_'

"Hello! Welcome to Pandemonium, before we begin I would like to ask all of you to draw straws so we can decide who goes first, kabo." Mato presented them with a cylinder littered with orange straws. Each of the mages took a straw and looked at their numbers.

"Damn it, I got six." Orga growled out.

"Eight. Good, I've got time to drink." Cana sat down on a barrel of booze.

"Two! Yay!" Milliana jumped in the air to celebrate.

"Four." Hibiki stated, before flirting with Milliana and Cana.

"..." Obra silently held up his straw, which showed a five.

"Three…. **WILD!**" Nobarly yelled out.

"**FOUR!**" His guild mates finished their cheer.

"Seven, at least I get to watch the young ones." Jura smirked.

"So that leaves..." Mato began and turned his head. The others followed his line of sight and saw Erza looking at the straw as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Erza-san, I assume that you know the rules of Pandemonium?" She nodded, though barely discernible. "So have you chosen how many of the monsters you would face?" He got her answer when she impaled a sword into the ground as she walked up the ramp.

"So how many did she want?" Orga wondered. His question was ignored by Mato, who was running towards Erza. As he watched the tiny pumpkin head run, he checked out the sword Erza left behind. On a face of the blade, the number one hundred glowed menacingly before it faded away. '_She forgoes talking? Using magic to indicate what she wants. Interesting.'_

"Erza-san please, I beg of you, don't face all one hundred monsters! It's suicidal!" Before he even got an arm's reach of her, someone pulled her back. He redirected his fearful eyes to his captor, which was Cana Alberona.

"Let me talk to her." She offered with a sad smile. Mato noticed the sad look in her eyes and relented, but stayed within earshot to hear what Cana had to say.

"Erza," Cana's voice was firm, though surprisingly soft and gentle as she addressed the knight. "What are you doing facing one hundred monsters all at once? What have you got to gain from beating all of them or worse, dying in that damn castle?!" Erza stopped right in front of the castle's double doors. Her posture was stiff and her hands were clenched in fists.

"I have nothing to gain or lose." Erza answered, her voice hoarse from its lack of use. "I simply want to do this because I have too many emotions bottled up inside of me begging to be released. I need a way to vent without hurting any of you. So please," Erza turned around, her eyes as blank and hollow as ever. However, something caught Cana off guard. It was a small spark of Erza's previous fiery will. "Let me do this."

"Alright Erza just do me a favor. Don't die in there.." Cana chided her friend before she stalked back to the others, a stunned Mato in tow.

* * *

"I can't make that kind of promise." Erza whispered to herself as she watched Cana walk away. She slowly pivoted her body to stare at the large doors that separated her from what very well may be her last fight. She slammed the doors open and strode into the huge castle.

As soon as the doors behind her closed, monsters began to emerge from various places around the main hall as they growled at the intruder. Erza stared at them as saliva dripped from their various maws as she re-quipped a standard longsword. Eight of the D-class monsters roared and attacked her. She side stepped one of them and jumped into the path of another. As it inched closer, Erza raised the sword above her head before she slashed downwards, effectively cleaving its head in half. Before she could do anything else one of the other D-class monsters rammed into her. Erza bit back a grunt as she back flipped in the air to land on her feet. The moment her feet touched the ground, another D-class monster rammed her into a column.

The column she was slammed into slowly crumbled as an intricate spider web like path of cracks traversed its body. When she slid down to the ground, a B-class monster appeared and attempted to crush the knight with a large fist. In a quick surge of speed, she ran underneath the large beast and cut through its hamstrings. It involuntarily kneeled as it screeched in pain, though that was the last thing it did as a glinting sword pierced its heart. Sensing another monster behind her, Erza spun and threw the sword in her hands at the C-class monster that was charging her. It landed in the dead centre of its head, causing it to dissipate.

Erza was hit by a tail of a C-class monster that snuck up to her right. As she went flying through multiple pillars, she summoned another weapon before landing on her feet. The weapon that she summoned was a claymore that was roughly as tall as her, from pommel to tip. The hilt was long enough for her to hold it with both hands and was wrapped in leather. The crossguard was a simple bar of metal that separated blade from hilt. Speaking of the blade, its first twelve inches were covered by a leather guard. Everything after that was a fine specimen of sharp, cold steel blades. From a distance, the sword looked bland. Upon closer inspection, that statement would be proven false. The disc shaped pommel had a carving of a rose on both sides. The blade's centre has floral engravings and if you were to remove the leather on the blade, you would see the Heart Kreuz logo inside a ball of fire. At the moment, it was impaled in the ground as Erza caught.

* * *

"She's being reckless and sloppy." Makarov mumbled under his breath.

"What do you mean third?" First Guild Master Mavis' apparition asked the elderly Third Guild Master.

"First off, Erza is able to dodge most of the hits she's received so far, but she chooses not to. Second, knowing her, she would've already re-quipped into a different armour the moment she entered the castle. Finally, the moment I saw her leave for the arena, there was a look in her eyes. Not a look I am used to seeing in any Fairy Tail mage. It was a look of apathy, as if she were tired of fighting and is now embracing her death. It's very disturbing that one of my most powerful and prized mages is basically asking her opponents to kill her while putting up as little of a fight as possible to entertain those watching."

"Wait, so you're saying that….." Lisanna asked.

"Unfortunately so. Her suicidal tendencies have resurfaced." Makarov grimly answered.

"That means that we should call off this match!" Romeo shouted at the old man. "If what you're saying is true, then it won't be long before Erza-san stops trying and just lets those things kill her."

"That won't happen." Cana responded to the boy, surprising everyone.

"Why are you here?" Makarov asked. "Aren't you supposed to be down there?"

"Just getting myself a pick-me-up." Cana sheepishly smiled as she hefted a barrel on her shoulders. "As I said, it won't happen."

"How are you so sure?" Evergreen questioned the card mage.

"I talked to her about this before she entered. She told me that she wanted to do this because she needed to vent so badly. I guess Natsu's expulsion hit her way harder than we anticipated." The mention of the pink dragon slayers name caused the mood to shift. "Though I know for a fact that she will not die here. She is sloppy because she seems to believe that Natsu is still with her. She didn't dodge those hits because she still believes that Natsu is protecting her from any danger, no matter where they she is. Furthermore, she still has her old fiery will. Although it's miniscule when compared to when she was at her best, it's still enough to keep her going."

"Even so, we must a keep a close watch on her. The look in her eyes when she left still bothers me and scares me. You never know when that miniscule spark of fire will extinguish and Erza will come to terms with the fact that Natsu will never save her from danger again." Makarov warned Cana. She nodded as she made her way back to the arena.

* * *

Four D-class monsters attacked the unmoving knight from all sides. When they were close enough Erza lifted the claymore from its position and spun around with the large sword. The maneuver effectively destroyed all four of those monsters. She then lunged at another D-class and stabbed it. It dissipated, but a C-class managed to bite down on the claymore and latch onto it. It deprived Erza of a weapon to defend herself from another C-class. Rather than letting it hit her as the Fairy Tail mages expected, Erza cocked her fist back and punched the C-class so hard that it flew into a bunch of D-classes and caused them to dissipate.

The scary thing was that as she fought, Erza maintained a stoic façade. She never showed how much effort was put into any of her attacks.

Gripping the handle of the claymore tightly, Erza lifted the C-class up and threw the sword along with the monster towards a B-class. The blade of the sword buried into the chest of the B-class and the impact of the C-class caused it to topple back. Seeing that she was weaponless again, the monsters attacked her once more. However, the monsters and the spectators were surprised that she would run into a horde of deadly creatures with no means to defend herself, aside from her fists.

Once again, everyone was surprised when Erza dodged swipes as if it was second nature and slid underneath the legs of larger monsters. The B-class that she impaled finally dissipated and the claymore fell to the ground with a clang. She sped up, dodging the maw of a C-class that tried to bite off her right arm. A massive fist came out of nowhere and hit Erza in the chest, sending her flying into the double doors. The force of the blow was so powerful that the doors broke and Erza crashed in the ramp.

"Call off the monsters! Get the medics! She's injure—" Mato was frantic, but Cana stopped him again. "What are you doing?! Are you just going to let your guild member die?!"

"Just watch." Cana coldly replied, a little pissed that Mato would even suggest that they'd leave Erza to die. Mato stopped thrashing around and stared at the drunk as if she was crazy. The others that waited to see Erza's fate had the same train of thought, with the exception of Obra.

They were beyond surprised when they saw a gauntlet burst out of the hole in the ramp. Soon after, Erza's battered body came out, with pieces of her armour missing.

"I told you to be careful! The others are worried sick about you." Cana scolded the raven haired knight. She was blatantly ignored as Erza strode up the ramp once more. The other participants and commentators were gaping at Erza, who continued to act nonchalantly about what had just transpired. They watched as Erza entered the castle again, not even bothering to re-quip a new sword.

"Miss Alberona." Cana turned at the sound of Jura's voice. "What has happened to Erza-dono? Why is she acting this way?"

"I am not at the liberty to share for that is classified guild information that only the mages of Fairy Tail as well as those with close relations with Erza are allowed to know." Cana answered before grabbing her barrel and drinking away, her stress levels going through the roof.

* * *

When she reentered the castle, she glanced around as she searched futilely for the one responsible for punching her out of the castle. She felt a presence behind her and jumped away before the massive fist from before demolished the ground she previously stood on. Erza's hands twitched and a sudden feeling of coldness overtook her. Her eyes widened and she frantically looked around the castle as if looking for something.

Then she saw it, her claymore in the same place it previously was. She attempted to make her way to the claymore again, but her path was blocked by a massive A-class monster. The monster glared at the impassive knight, growling in attempts to intimidate her. Irked by its opponent's indifference, the monster tried to punch her. Erza sidestepped the massive arm before grabbing hold of it and used the monster's momentum to turn it over. Once it was down, Erza threw a punch of her own at the monster's head. The sheer force of the blow caused its neck to snap and killed the monster instantly.

Seeing movement at the corner of her eye, Erza leaned back to narrowly avoid a swipe from a D-class. She rolled underneath it's next swipe and ran through massive horde of monsters. One D-class managed to claw at her back, creating holes in her armour and lacerating her, but she kept going. She tackled a B-class blocking her path and the both of them landed near the claymore. Erza punched it three times with so much force that when it dissipated, there was an indent of the B-class roughly 4 inches deep from where it lay.

She picked up the claymore and knelt down on one knee with the tip pointing at the ground. The growling of the various monsters and the cheering of the spectators were all tuned out. All she was focusing on was the beating of her heart and the warmth that the leather hilt brought to her. This sword was special, given to her by the closest person she knew outside of the magic world. The head blacksmith of Heart Kreuz, Jaegus Kintaro. He was the first person that she was comfortable with, the first person that she talked to about her feelings of a certain dragon slayer, the first person that she confronted about her vivid nightmares about Natsu's death and the first person she counselled with after Natsu's exile. However, when she holds the sword, she remembers the last time she saw him.

* * *

_FLASHBACK - 2 WEEKS AGO_

"Jaegus…" Erza whispered as she walked into the hospital room. The old man was barely clinging to life. Various lacrima contraptions and tubes were what kept him alive, but his deteriorating condition pretty much sealed his fate. Erza gauged that he has probably 3 months left.

"Erza, you came…." Jaegus croaked out, smiling underneath his breathing mask.

"I _am_ your best customer." Erza joked, cracking a rare smile after Natsu's exile. "So how are you doing?"

"Hehehe… That isn't a question you're supposed to ask an old, dying man. But to be honest, I feel peaceful. Though I can't help but feel sad because I have to leave my work behind and my faithful customers."

"You're not alone, many would miss you. At least Kami will have one more master blacksmith in his arsenal." Jaegus laughed. "I wish that you could stay alive longer. It was already bad enough for one special person to leave my life, two would demolish what was left of my soul."

"Erza," A weak hand grasped hers. "After today, go to my workshop. There is a gift there waiting for you. Think of it as compensation for your next birthday." She smiled at him again, and he smiled back. They talked with each other eagerly, making the best of his remaining time. However, the time was cut short when a nurse told Erza that Jaegus needed to rest. Saying their farewells, Erza left for Jaegus' workshop.

* * *

The workshop was just as she remembered from when she was a young child getting fitted for her first set of armour. Scraps of metal were haphazardly scattered on the floor, 5 tables had half-finished armours and forgotten tools, a mannequin was wearing one his finished armours. At the far end, she saw the smelter, furnace, and the cooling rack. The setting sun's rays seeped through the skylight. What caught her attention was an out-of-place clean table with a long package wrapped in paper.

She walked towards it, careful not to trip over any piece of metal. On the package was a piece of paper that read 'For Erza.' She ripped the paper and was shocked to see a claymore. All her life, she knew that Heart Kreuz's main blacksmith was adamant about creating weapons. Over the sword's blade was an envelope addressed to her by Jaegus.

"_Dear Erza,_

_By the time you are reading this letter, I am already at my deathbed. I would also assume that you have received my little gift. I have to be honest with you, making a sword was the last thing I wanted to do. Good thing that it will be the last thing I will do. I need to reveal my past to you so you may understand me better. Before I was a blacksmith I was a knight. In fact, Hansuke's father was my subordinate back in the day._

_From what you have told me, Yorin quit being a captain because he didn't want his family to go through loss. I, on the other hand, retired because I have seen many things and couldn't unsee them. I have fought, I have killed and my greatest regret was that I did it simply because I was ordered to. When I retired, I was at the brink of insanity. The voices of the men I slaughtered haunted me, not even in sleep was I safe. To make it worse, I was destitute for months on end, barely surviving with the donations of people walking by me in the streets. One day, I had enough. In the quiet atmosphere of an empty alleyway, I was about to end it all there. But thankfully, Yorin happened to look in said alleyway as he walked home after having dinner with his wife._

_He saved me, convinced me that there is another way to deal with my pain. Oh, how I wept. From that day onwards, I was under his tutelage and was training to be a blacksmith. We constantly joked how the student became the master and the master became the student. It was on that day that I vowed I shall never create weapons. I never wanted to be reminded of the hard life I lived and the lives I've taken. Then the news came about his murder. I was once again depressed, and became engrossed in my work. I was in a pit of sadness and my friends would keep telling me that I worked like a lifeless machine and needed a break._

_Then you came into my life. A young, proud girl with hair as red as the most beautiful rose. When you requested for custom armour, I saw the insecurity in your eyes. At the time, I was the only blacksmith working for Heart Kreuz, but it didn't deter me from creating armour for you. Being around you made feel like a father that would do anything to comfort his daughter. Heh, even now I sometimes consider you my daughter. The sense of security the armour provided you seemed to make you content and I was happy for you._

_You came to me regularly for check ups on your armour. At first, I thought it was out of familiarity, but I didn't mind, as long as I had time with my 'daughter'. When you came to me to talk about how you felt fuzzy and warm when interacting with Natsu, I knew that deep down you trusted me with all your little heart. I remember when you came to me with a frustrated look on your face and confusion dancing in your eyes. I remember the apprehension of considering a life long relationship with the boy in your heart. I remember the happiness I saw in your eyes when I said that I would support you every step of the way._

_The years went by and I got to watch you grow. Your visits became more frequent, probably because either your armour was damaged more often or you needed more advice when dealing with __him__. Hehehe, your sheepish smiles when I made you admit that you did something reckless to crack your armour and flustered faces when I teased you about Natsu always kept me going. Then you came to me with a completely shattered set of armour and a dark look in your eyes. I was concerned for you. I fixed your armour free of charge because I didn't want you to stress out. When you opened up about the Tower of Heaven, my heart was crushed. Who knew that you went through something so vile and years later had to face your closest friends in that forsaken place. However, a different light engulfed your eyes when you talked about what happened when your were in that lacrima. You were happy. Happy that Natsu would go so far for your safety. Happy that your love for him was strengthened. Happy that your heart was free of the burden of the tower._

_For a while you were at the happiest I have ever seen. Every time you visited for the armour check ups, you were babbling about how Natsu destroyed private property or how Natsu saved the day. When your annual S-class exams were about to take place, I saw how giddy you were. I could tell by the look in your eyes that you were going to confess to him. I wish that I had said more than good luck to you when you left. The day you returned, I was waiting patiently for you to burst into the workshop with your new boyfriend in tow._

_But you never did._

_It wasn't until 2 days after I caught wind of the news of his death and a week after before you came to me. It was the saddest day in the workshop, everyone could practically feel the grief roll off of you. Many of the others weren't surprised when you hugged me and wept into my shoulder. Calming you was the hardest part. The other blacksmiths decided to leave us both alone out of respect. As I held you in my arms, I couldn't help but cry. Your pain became my pain, your loss was also mine. I can now see why fathers are overly protective of their daughters; beneath every woman is a fragile young girl that simply wants to be loved._

_The following years were hard for the both of us. You tried to keep a smile on your face to hide the pain as your friend Mira once did. I had to fight a disease that I kept hidden from everyone, even from you. Doctors kept telling me that I needed help and rest. I was too stubborn at the time to listen to a bunch of people who happen to know more about the human body than me. Silly me. It wasn't until 5 months ago before the disease decided to worsen. It was a normal day in the workshop when a sharp pain erupted from my chest. I don't remember what happened, but when I asked my apprentice, he told me that I collapsed and struggled to breathe._

_From that day until now, I was stuck in this place. Barely given time to wander for they had said that the disease has reached fatal levels. They said I was lucky to last this long, but I finally hit the end of the road. This was why I wasn't there to congratulate you for Natsu's return. I thought that you had forgotten me, but I was proven wrong when you visited me with a beautiful bouquet of roses. If I wasn't connected to a bunch of machinery, I would've jumped in joy and hugged you to death when you told me that he made you his 'wife' in draconic terms._

_A new spark ignited within me. I had to give you something before I passed on because sooner in life, you would be with Natsu all the time. I begged the nice nurse to let me work in the workshop for a gift for you. She was hesitant at first, but when I reminded her that I was dying and told her that making a gift for you would bring me peace, she was more than willing to escort me to my workshop. I only worked for 3 hours a day before the bloody coughing fits began._

_But I encountered a problem before I even began. What was I going to give you? A new set of armour seemed too 'familiar' to you. I thought about making two rings, one for you and one for Natsu. But I wanted to make a gift just for you. Then the thought of making a sword for you crossed my mind. At first I laughed it off, but as I thought about it, I seemed to like the idea._

_So I made your sword, modeling it after my old sword. A claymore, roughly 6 feet long with a 5 foot 2 inch blade. Making the sword was easy, customizing it to suit the owner was not. I knew that you loved roses and in turn you were one. A beauty protected by thorns so that only the one 'worthy' of your beauty is able to hold you without getting hurt. I also knew that from your time with Natsu, you had an affiliation with fire and it's warmth._

_I was hesitant to make swords back then because when I was younger, I thought that a sword was a tool used to kill or hurt others. I had ignored the fact that a sword is also a tool to protect yourself and protect the ones you care about the most. Sometimes you hurt others and yourself while protecting the ones you care about. Such is the case with your loved one. Your stories were enough to convince me that he didn't leave because he didn't love you or that he hated you for betraying him. He left you probably because he had to protect you, but he broke your heart as well as his in the process. Give him time, and he shall return to you and explain his actions._

_Yours Sincerely, _

_Jaegus Kintaro_

_P.S. I still made those rings for the both of you because I am hoping that once the fiasco is over, one of you will ask the other's hand for marriage. Those rings are for the wedding."_

Her tears were freely falling now, the dam had burst. Erza could barely support her weight through her shaking legs, so she slowly fell to her knees as she sobbed. She felt relieved that he believed that Natsu would return, even if she has lost all hope. Once her sobbing ceased, she stood up and gazed upon the work of art before her. It wasn't as elegant as some of the katanas and rapiers she has seen in shops, but she could see the hard work and passion put into the sword. She lifted the sword and put blade against her forehead, with the leather section touching her nose.

"Thank you Jaegus." She whispered then kissed the leather.

* * *

_FLASHBACK END_

"What is she doing?" A random spectator voiced everyone's thoughts as the lacrima screen showed Erza's unmoving form. Then the shadow of another B-class loomed above her, but she paid it no attention.

"Erza, move!" Makarov exclaimed, his old heart beating sporadically. Jellal, who was spectating from one of the statues high above the stadium was panicking. He must either blow all the investigation that his guild has been doing about this competition to save her or watch and pray that the knight would react.

* * *

"**ROOOOAAR!**" The mighty B-class roared as it brought down it's heavy arms with intent to crush the knight. At that moment, Erza's eyes snapped open. She spun on her knee to avoid the blow and simultaneously cut the monster's legs from the knee down. Its weight made it buckle underneath its damaged knees. Then she jumped up, bringing the sword in an upward motion to lacerate it's chest, and at the apex of her ascent, she brought her sword down and lodged it in the monster's head. The B-class fell down and dissipated.

The roars and growls of the other monsters made Erza turn around. So far, there were still about 30 D-classes, 23 C-classes, 13 B-classes, 3 A-classes and the S-class was still wandering about somewhere in the castle. 3 C-classes attacked her from the front, she simply cut them all in one swipe of the greatsword. Make that 20 C-classes. Oh well, she always liked it when she was at a disadvantage.

With a burst of speed, she lunged at the closest monster and destroyed it. Then she stabbed another monster and used it as a barrier as she ran to the centre of the horde.

* * *

"**HAS SHE GONE MAD?!**" Mato as well as some of the mages among him yelled out as they watched Erza dig her own grave.

"Just watch." Cana muttered to them before drinking from another barrel. '_Stay safe Erza._'

* * *

When she reached the centre, she removed her sword from the monster and punched it away. Ducking underneath a swipe, she gave a C-class an uppercut that would've knocked out a dragon. She raised her sword to block a punch from a B-class. With a hand holding a part of the blade, Erza slipped off the leather cover and grasped another section of the blade. She chopped off the monster's hand, using the sword's blade as the handle, and then stabbed the stump so she could jump up the monster's limb. It tried to swat her away, but it only ended up hitting it's own arm and leaving it defenseless to a sword to the face.

10 D-classes and 5 C-classes surrounded her, attacking at the same time. She fixed the way she held the sword and much to amusement of some spectators, spun around like a top. Only that this top had a nasty edge to it and cut through all 15 monsters. She kept spinning, as another pair of C-classes fell prey to the spinning top of death. When she stopped, A B-class backhanded her away. She corrected herself mid air and landed on her feet, using the sword to stop her from moving any further. Looking up, she saw that 3 B-classes were approaching her.

She attacked the one at the middle, poor thing had no time to react before it found a woman on its chest with a sword sticking out of it. She jumped back down, dodging a punch from the B-class from the left. The one on the right raised both of its arms, hands clasped tightly together, and slammed them down to crush the pesty mage. Dust exploded, and everyone watched with a bated breath. A glint of metal appeared through the dust cloud and Erza rocketed towards the B-class with the claymore acting as a spearhead. The sword landed on it's head, but Erza pushed downwards so that the B-class would be cut in half by the time she landed on the ground.

The last B-class tried to ambush her, but she dodged it while cutting off an arm. It howled in pain, but then its knees buckled for Erza punched the back of its knees. The blue monster turned it's head to face Erza, only to meet a powerful punch that launched it towards the other monsters. It's large body managed to crush 5 D-Classes and a C-class.

A glint appeared in her eye, and a sudden warm feeling engulfed her body. She couldn't help but internally smile, this was what she was trying to achieve by fighting the one hundred monsters. The adrenalin in combat and, consequently, the feeling of Natsu's presence. The growl of a D-Class brought her out of her musings and she simply readied herself for another assault.

* * *

"Did you see that Master?" Mira asked the aging man, not believing her eyes.

"It's unmistakable, her previous will of fire was there. I saw the spark in her eyes." Makarov confirmed, his lips twitching in a smile. "I think that she's coming back to us."

* * *

"I see now." Cana muttered to herself, unable to move after seeing that short glint of willpower in her friend's eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Mato turned to her, still anxious about Erza.

"Nothing." Cana replied, but she could help but smile.

* * *

Her heart rate was going sky high, her breathing was shaky, but her heart was momentarily free. As she fought these monsters, the warmth spread even faster. More than half of the monsters have been cut down by her already. Approximately a third is left of the original force of one hundred. As she gazed at the corridor of monsters, an idea popped into her head.

She lifted the sword high above her head and with all her might, evident with her furrowed eyebrows and gritted teeth, brought the sword down to create a gust of wind so powerful that many of the remaining D-Classes and C-Classes were eradicated when it impacted. An explosion rocked the castle and audiences were shocked to find a hole on the opposite side of Erza's location. She mentally counted how much of the monsters were left and was surprised to find that only 5 D-Classes, 2 C-Classes, 9 B-Classes, 3 A-Classes and the S-Class monster remained.

"Amazing Yajima-san, her last attack lowered 36 to 20 in a split second." Chapati mumbled into his mic.

"Indeed, and by the looks of it, little to no magic was used. The attack was pure strength alone." Yajima replied, making the audience gape at the ex-council member's input.

"Are you sure about that Yajima-san?"

"Absolutely. As I watched Erza, there was no fluctuation of magic around her body nor her sword." The old man explained, making the others nod before redirecting their attention to the fight at hand. Erza was panting slightly, a little winded from her exertion, but she was impressed on what she pulled off.

Watching the monster's movements, Erza rested the sword on her shoulder and dashed towards a B-Class. The remaining D-Classes tried to tackle her, but she either dodged or punched them away. When she got close enough, she jumped to dodge a punch from her target, and she was eye level with the B-Class, she decapitated the creature. She landed on it's shoulder, then jumped away to stab a nearby B-class. Landing gracefully as the monster dissipated, the remaining C-classes attacked her from behind. Not reacting in time, a C-class bit into Erza`s right pauldron, its teeth puncturing the steel and digging into her flesh.

She bit back a cry of pain, but was forced to shout when the other C-class bit her sword arm. With her left hand on its upper jaw and her right foot on its lower jaw, Erza forcefully pried its mouth open and stabbed the roof of its mouth. Ignoring the pain on her shoulder and arm, Erza chopped the last C-class' head in half. She fell to her knees, nauseous from blood loss. She thought about cauterizing her wound with her _other magic_, but remembered her vow of never using _that_ magic ever again.

She heard growling from in front of her and saw the remaining monsters staring at her. She returned the stares, smirking at them as if she was taunting them for their weakness. Five of them growled louder, taking the bait and lunged for the puny human. Standing up with a posture of defiance, Erza let out a battle roar as she lunged at the last obstacles to victory.

Kicking the one at the centre away, Erza spun to evade the attacks of the two other monsters that flanked the centre. As she spun, she lobbed off the hands of the monsters with her mighty weapon. Stabbing the one to her right, she quickly pulled the claymore out and threw it at the chest of the other one. Her aim was off due to her injuries, causing the sword to be lodged in the monster's throat. A gurgling noise came from it as it backpedaled against a column with it's hands holding the throat.

The remaining monsters blocked her line of sight of her claymore. Momentarily scowling at the increase in resistance, Erza ran into the horde. She met an oncoming fist from an A-class with her own. Poor thing's arm was dislocated from the sheer strength of Erza's punch. Ignoring its roar of pain, she ran past it and slid under the legs of a pair of B-classes. She jumped in the air, barely dodging a fist. She spun and then delivered a powerful axe kick upon the unsuspecting head of her B-class assailant.

The creature dissipated the moment its head impacted the hard stone floor. However, when it fell, Erza used it's body as a springboard to launch herself towards the B-class that was still clutching its throat. It held an arm out to swat Erza away, but it was to slow for Erza rocketed past its arm and then held on to the claymore. She forcefully yanked it out and then beheaded the B-class.

An A-class snuck up behind her, but she noticed it and raised her sword to block its fist. However, the pain in her shoulder and arm flared up when she felt the impact, causing her defense to waver. The monster saw this and used its other hand to grab Erza and threw her into the remaining members of the horde. Her back impacted another A-class' chest before falling down. The monster that she impacted with wasn't giving her a chance to retaliate when it punched her into the ground. It kept doing so until there was a deep crater in the ground with Erza at its centre.

Outside, Mato and Makarov were going into hysterics. Mato was begging Cana to let him call off the monsters while Makarov was sweating and hyperventilating at the brutal assault. Much to their surprise, Erza's hand shot out and stopped the monster's punch. She looked like she went through hell and back. Her forehead had a cut at the scalp and was bleeding profusely, the lacerations from her back and the bites from the C-class on her right arm and shoulder were oozing the viscous life liquid. Her armour was severely damaged; her pauldrons were shattered, the chestplate had dents and cracks, and the pieces of armour covering her limbs were broken and cutting into her skin.

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!**" Erza roared at the top of her lungs and pushed the monster away. Adrenalin pumped into her veins at a hazardous rate, but she didn't care. Picking up her claymore, she went back into the fray. Limbs were dismembered, heads were lolled off, and there was one monster that flew out of the castle from a powerful punch from Erza. After her moment of adrenalin-powered strength, she kneeled down to catch her breath. At that moment, an arachnid with a massive eye as its abdomen/thorax rushed into front of her. Both parties maintained eye contact for a full minute before Erza stood up again and raised her sword to cleave the creature.

She wasn't expecting it to transform into a humanoid creature three times her size. It swatted her away with a deep laugh. She grunted as she rolled to a stop. When she raised her head, her eyes widened when it weaved a human shape out of the shadows around it. When it finished, it snapped its fingers and Erza's breath hitched. The monster had summoned a rather pale apparition of Natsu Dragneel.

* * *

"**THE AUDACITY OF THAT BEAST! RIP IT TO SHREDS ERZA! DON'T LET IT TAINT NATSU'S IMAGE!"** The entire Fairy Tail platform bellowed, as well as Cana. The spectators were sweating when the S-class mages unleashed their magical pressure and were glaring at the screen with creepy glowing red eyes.

* * *

"What is going on? This is not part of the monster's abilities." Lahar asked the event's 'programmers'.

"We don't know, it isn't responding to our commands to call off the spell. In fact, all of the monsters were acting differently than normal ever since Erza entered the castle. They showed signs of killing intent although we never programmed them in such a fashion. Someone has been tampering with them and we're still trying to find out the solution." The lead 'programmer' replied as his subordinates were furiously trying to find the source of the problem.

"Impossible, the events were kept in secret. Only you, your team, and some officials from the Rune Knights knew about this."

"Well, it seems that we probably have a mole within our system because that is the only logical explanation I can think of." With that the programmer went back to work.

* * *

'_Very good, it's all going according to plan. Now, if we worked quickly, she would be publicly executed by the image of her own boyfriend._' A figure thought to himself before chuckling.

* * *

'_About time the old fool set the plan in motion, I'm not sure I could keep up this act any longer._' Another figure thought to themselves, unaware of the suspicious gaze that was aimed at her back.

* * *

'_They're already starting, hopefully Erza survives this. Laxus and Gajeel better do their parts flawlessly. I can't have all the sacrifices my children have made be in vain._' Makarov thought, scowling deeply in anger.

* * *

"Hello Erza." The Natsu apparition smiled at the shocked knight. Erza forgot how to breathe at that moment, her eyes were fixated on the man in front of her. Seeing her distress, Natsu walked up to her and cupped her cheek to prove that he was there. The contact brought Erza back to her senses and made her breathe again. She looked him in the eye and he smiled gently at her. But there was something off. Natsu's eyes weren't gold with black slits, they were onyx black. She had no time to react when 'Natsu' grabbed her by the hair and slammed her into the ground.

'_Dammit! It's the Tower all over again, they're using my emotions against me._' Erza thought to herself. (**This is the first time she has allowed me to take a peek into her mind. Previous attempts resulted in me being sent to the hospital**). 'Natsu' pulled her up by the hair, not giving her time to dwell upon her thoughts. He, or it, cocked his arm back and punched Erza in the gut, denting the armour. It poised to punch her again, but Erza kicked him on the stomach and grabbed the arm that had a grasp on her hair. Using her strength, she broke the apparition's wrist and freed herself from its clutches. Much to her surprise, 'Natsu' didn't react to the sensation of a broken limb. Instead, it looked at its wrist and a few moments later, cracking noises were heard and then the wrist began to respond to its master's commands as if it was never broken in the first place.

'_Regenerative abilities! This just got a lot harder._' Then she noticed the S-class weaving it's fingers as if it were moving a mannequin. Her eye furrowed before she heard that _thing_ move. She locked on to it's face and saw the malice on the face that was made for warm smiles. It sickened her.

'Natsu' was surprised when Erza ran to it with intent to kill. The brief lapse of hesitation in 'Natsu's' movements would be its last. With every ounce of power she had, Erza plunged the claymore's blade into the apparition's chest. "**DAAAAAAAMN YOOOOOOU!**" Erza yelled at the top of her lungs as she ran towards the S-class, with the Natsu apparition still impaled on her claymore. It stumbled backwards, apparently experiencing fear for the first time. A sensation tore through its body when Erza stabbed it underneath the neck. To the surprise of the audience, Erza tore out the sword and then decapitated both 'Natsu' and the S-class puppeteer with one fell swoop. The power of her swing created a gust of wind so powerful that the walls behind the headless creatures were obliterated.

* * *

"Unbelievable!" Chapati voiced everyone's collective thoughts in one word. The spectators stared at Erza in awe, shocked at the amount of power the woman had. The mages now feared her, albeit Fairy Tail since they're on her good side….. Right?... Jellal felt absolutely horrible, because of his moment of unrestrained emotion towards her, she was reduced to what she was now.

_*clank*_

Everyone held their breath when Erza fell to her knees. Then were curious as to why her shoulders began to shake. The camera for the LacrimaVision moved to figure out whether or not she was okay.

She wasn't.

Erza, the 'Queen of Fairies' as many people knew her, was sobbing uncontrollably. Her hands tried to wipe the tears away while she tried to muffle her whimpers of emotional pain and trauma. As soon as Cana and Mira saw this, they rushed to Erza's side. Meanwhile, Ivan smiled like a madman and Makarov saw this. The old guildmaster was fuming inside and clenching his fists tightly barely quenched his fury.

"Shhhhh." Mira tried to comfort her best friend when she hugged the woman.

"I (sniff) killed him. (sob) I killed Natsu."

"No you didn't," Cana knelt beside Erza. "That thing that you destroyed was not Natsu." The alcoholic's words never got into Erza's head as she muttered her mantra over and over again. Seeing that the pain was too much, Mira casted a sleeping spell on her before carrying her away.

* * *

"Yajima-san?"

"Keep quiet Chapati, the woman is in immense pain." This was the first time Yajima bluntly told the announcer to shut up.

"Yessir."

* * *

_FLASHFORWARD - LAXUS' FIGHT_

"**THE NEXT FIGHT WILL BE BETWEEN LAXUS DREYAR OF FAIRY TAIL B AND ALEXEI OF RAVEN TAIL!**" Chapati yelled out. Yajima was silent beside him and Lahar was currently investigating about the events at the beginning of the tournament.

Laxus zipped to the centre of the arena through his lightning while Alexei walked. Laaaaame. Once the man in armour reached the centre, Mato went over the rules and regulations of the match. During that time, Laxus sent hateful glares at his opponent, unnerving Mato.

"Are both competitors ready?" They nodded. "**BEGIN!**" Laxus and Alexei stood there and stared at each other, the tension between them growing as time passed. Then, Alexei threw the first punch, Laxus parried and kicked him away. The both of them fought each other without their magic and the crowd was ecstatic. They did not know that it was an illusion, a very powerful one.

* * *

"Five of you against one guy, that's pretty cowardly of you." Laxus scowled at the 'leader' of Raven Tail's team.

"Think of it as insurance that you won't run away."

"What do you even want Alexei, or should I say, Father?" The dragon slayer nearly smirked when he saw his father flinch.

"Impressive." Alexei took off his mask to reveal Ivan Dreyar. "How did you figure out that it was me?"

"The nose of a dragon slayer is pretty strong, but I have other ways." Ivan scowled, but then regained his composure.

"It doesn't matter any way. To answer your question my son, I need you to tell me the whereabouts of Fairy Tail's greatest secret: Lumen Histoire."

"First of all, don't call me your son, you lost that privilege when you joined a dark guild. Second, why do think I would give you its location, assuming that I even know it." The group laughed at Laxus.

"Why should you? Well, I have two of your guildmates imprisoned in my guild hall. Your guild's 'heart and soul', Natsu and his best friend, Lucy. Furthermore, I have an army of mages from my guild and another guild that decided to help us waiting to attack your precious nakama." Much to Ivan's surprise, Laxus didn't even react to the threats. In fact, he laughed.

"That's rich Ivan. Hahahahahaha. Did you think that Natsu would let himself be captured so easily? And if he did, didn't you even think that he has something planned for his captors?"

"What do you mean?" At that moment, a voice was heard from the LacrimaVision screens.

* * *

"Uhhh, is this thing on?" Fairy Tail's mages perked up at the voice's owner and stared at the screen in surprise. It was Natsu, and he looked like s***. His face was coated with dried blood, one eye is swollen shut while the other is bruised and bloodshot. His lip was busted and his hair was dirty and matted with more blood. All in all, he kinda looked like a badass.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lahar asked the security guards. They simply shrugged and watched the broadcast.

"Hello everyone, my name is Natsu Dragneel. Ex-Fairy Tail mage, Wizard Saint and Representative of the Dragon Council. Today I, actually a _friend_ of mine, will be sharing news regarding our _beloved_ Raven Tail." Natsu left the camera's vision, but returned with a blindfolded man with a scar from his jawline to his right ear. "Now Gunter, what would like to share with us."

"Screw you pinkie!" The man spat at Natsu's face. Natsu simply sighed in sadness before dragging him out of vision. Screams were heard off camera, and the audience could only imagine what Natsu could've done to him.

"Will you cooperate this time?"

"Yes."

"Good, now you were going to say something. Oh, introduce yourself first."

"My name is Gunter, second-in-command of Raven Tail. My boss, Ivan Dreyar is planning to assault Fairy Tail's headquarters as well as eradicate all 'weak' Fairy Tail mages." Everyone stared wide-eyed at the information. Fairy Tail's pill box suddenly erupted in magical energy.

"How was he planning to do this?"

"There were stages to his plan. His grand masterpiece, as we members called it. Various stages have already been carried out. The incident from Fairy Tail's training year was all thanks to his genius." He yelped in pain when Natsu gripped his shoulder tighter.

"Explain." His eyes held the white hot fury of a pissed off dragon.

"During that stage, chaos would be the main factor to Fairy Tail's downfall. He extracted pheromones from two other dragon slayers and with some inside help from Fairy Tail, a lone infiltrator would release the pheromones and cause the female populace present to go nuts in lust while the dragon slayers and/or people of close connections to the females would kill everything in sight. It was successful, but only a bit since only you and your mate were affected when there were other prime targets."

"Who were the owners of the pheromones and the inside help from Fairy Tail?"

"I can't tell you that!" Gunter lashed about as if something was crawling on his body. "They'll kill me if I do that."

"You have a choice between them and me. I have authorization from all of my superiors to use lethal force in order to protect the innocent. And what you have told me is enough to consider you and your guildmates as threats for the innocent. I can ensure that you will be brought to prison alive and well, if you cooperate. If you don't, I know for certain that it'll take them quite a while to get here, during that time you're with me." The poor guy was shaking in fear, not able to make a decision. "You have five seconds." Natsu ignited his finger.

"The pheromones were from Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney!" Gunter blurted out. Fairy Tail's magical energy spiked even further. The Twin Dragons of Sabertooth were sweating profusely and the glares they were getting from Fairy Tail and its supporters were not helping.

"And the insider?"

"Was me." Lucy came into view, dressed in rags.

* * *

"Wait, if Lucy is right there, then….." Jet's thoughts were interrupted when an iron pillar pinned 'Lucy' to a wall. The owner of said pillar was none other than Gajeel Redfox.

"Talk." He growled out, his eyes promising pain if he even thinks she's lying. To their surprise, the doppelganger remained defiant and glared back at Gajeel.

"I ain't telling s***." Lucy responded, but then she yelped when Gajeel pushed her into the wall even more.

"Do you fear death?" A cold voice was heard from the corridor leading to the platform. It was Erza, heavily bandaged and walking with an IV stand. Her eyes were blazing with emotion, and her mouth was in a scowl which revealed her draconic teeth. "Because if you do, then you would have more of a reason to talk."

"Fairy Tail mages don't kill!" 'Lucy' reasoned with Erza.

"True, but I don't plan to kill you. I plan to drive you to a point that death seems like an old friend of yours and would want to run to it with open arms. There is no rule, written or unwritten, that prevents me from doing so." 'Lucy' began to panic, especially when she felt a spike begin to protrude from the iron pillar.

"_**I**_ was the infiltrator." She began, "Gunter explained one part of my mission. To create chaos from within. The second part was what I was truly trained for by Master Ivan, infiltration. I have a form of transformation magic that was good enough for me to double as your guildmate. Thus, I was a secondary spy for Raven Tail. The thing was, I wasn't completely successful on the first stage, so I tried to create another bout of chaos when Natsu recovered. Posing as Lucy, I 'confessed' to Natsu in an attempt to rile _you_ up, Erza." She was interrupted by a harsh slap from Erza. Everyone present flinched, but did nothing about it. Erza was panting heavily, for she was finally face to face with the person who caused so much pain for her and Natsu. She will pay, but that will come at a later time.

"Reveal your true identity and give us your real name." 'Lucy' stared dumbly at Erza, but complied in fear of her wrath. (**seriously, who doesn't fear Erza's wrath?**). Blue light engulfed her and in 'Lucy's' place was a young woman with long black hair with strands of light brown. To their surprise, she was wearing an eye patch and scars littered her arms. Her lone purple eye watched Erza for any reaction. "My name is Ren."

"No last name?" Gajeel inquired. Ren shook her head.

"Master Ivan found me in the streets foraging for food, he took me in when he saw my skill in transformation magic. I don't even remember what my family looks like."

"Why us?" Why did you create the rift between Natsu and I first?" Erza grabbed onto the collar of Ren's clothing.

"The master ordered me to start with you two and make sure that the both of you receive the most amount of pain. It was because he was afraid of your strengths, knowing that both of you are nigh invincible together." Erza was furious, but she couldn't stay mad at Ren. From what she could tell, Ren was blindly following orders because she felt indebted to the man. Her anger towards Ren was now redirected to one man, Raven Tail's Guild Master.

"How were you able to use Lucy's keys?" Makarov asked the young lady.

"My magic allows me to be another person, just like Lucy's spirit: Gemini. I could imitate their appearance and magic completely, acting the part is the really hard part." She explained.

"I see, such powerful and dangerous magic indeed."

* * *

As Ren spilled the beans in Fairy Tail's platform, Lucy explained her role in Ivan's masterpiece. "I was the insider for Raven Tail. I told them about the meeting in the bridge and who was going to be there. I had no choice but to obey them because they drew a rune on my body that acted like a tracking device, a pain generator and a 'kill' switch at the same time. Not only that, they threatened to destroy my celestial keys, and thus kill my spirits. (**Lucy didn't know at the time that destroying a celestial key simply prevents the spirit from being summoned anymore.)**" Lucy wiped away a tear and composed herself.

"At the time, I didn't know why they wanted to know where my guildmates were up to. I just did it because I was afraid that all of my closest friends besides from you guys would disappear forever. When I found out that they were using my information to harm you, I tried to warn everyone, but I was captured and had a doppelganger replace me. Between my capture and my release by Natsu's hand, I was tortured and …." Lucy's composure broke down and she sobbed in front of the entire crowd.

"Lucy, you can stop if it's too much." Natsu laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, ignoring Gunter trying to get out of Natsu's death grip.

"No!" She exclaimed with powerful conviction. "I need to tell everyone this! This is what happens if you betray your family!" I was -" Lucy was interrupted by a sudden slap in the face by Natsu. She was not expecting her best friend to hit her like that, evident by her wide eyes.

"Lucy, you may have helped them hurt us, but you did it because the lives of your other family was at stake. You didn't betray us, you protected the ones you loved, but unfortunately got your other friends hurt in the process. Don't let yourself be demolished by your conflicting emotions, if you think you did the right thing, then you did the right thing. Besides, we're Fairy Tail. We bounce back from any problem we face." Lucy's breath got hitched in her throat and she stared at Natsu as he spoke. When he finished, he gave her his trademark smile and she couldn't help but cry into his shoulder.

"So Gunter," The man in Natsu's arms froze, "Anything else you want to tell us about your master's grand masterpiece? You said that multiple stages were fulfilled already, yet you only revealed one." Gunter sighed in defeat, knowing that Natsu is his safest option at the moment and at the long run.

"The second stage would've been systematically eliminating or weakening key members. But due to your rampage, that was nearly unnecessary. From the other Lucy's info, the dragon slayers were still fairly hurt while the other mages are unmotivated to do their best after your expulsion. There were a few that still persevered through the hardships, specifically Wendy Marvell, so we had to bring them down to further reduce morale."

"The third stage was for the public humiliation of Fairy Tail. You all saw it in action, but Erza's event was a peculiar case. He said that he had something special planned for her, apparently he wanted her to break even further. That or he wanted to execute her. Evidently, it failed."

"The fourth and final stage was to be the most 'delicate'. With discrete bribes, Master Ivan made sure that he were to match up against his son. While the both of them are fighting, Master Ivan would extract information regarding the whereabouts of Lumen Histoire, Fairy Tail's biggest secret. As this is occurring, a fourth of Raven Tail would raid Fairy Tail's Guild Hall and a half of our guild would attack Fairy Tail in their platform, the remaining stayed in our guild hall. Once Master Ivan has what he wants, we would attack."

* * *

"That blabber-mouth!" Ivan fumed, then he directed his rage towards his smirking son. "You knew?!"

"You're not the only one with a spy." Laxus' smirk turned into a full-blown grin as he coated his arm in lightning and punched the ground, causing an electric pulse to be produced. Said electric pulse dissipated the illusion.

"**RAVEN TAIL, ATTACK!**" Ivan released a stream of his paper puppets into the air, signalling the assault. As he did this, the Raven Tail team ran towards Laxus.

"Come and get it." Laxus taunted as he coated himself in lightning.

* * *

When Ren saw the puppets, she pushed away a distracted Gajeel's arm. A dagger was unsheath from a hidden scabbard in her boot. Jumping up, she stabbed the closest person: Erza. Erza felt the dagger sink into her stomach, but she ignored it. All she felt was fury, and Ren's attack only served to fuel the flames.

Ren's eyes widened when Erza grabbed her arm and pretty much crushed the bones where she held. She yelped in pain, then she felt that she was being lifted in the air. "To think that I gave you a benefit of a doubt." Erza told her, then the knight tossed her into the air and punched her with all her might. Ren was soon embedded in the arena floor, her bones broken.

After placing bandages on her new injury, Erza heard people running through the corridors behind her and saw random people in the spectators' seats stand up and remove their cloaks. Looking at the image of Natsu in the Lacrima Screen, Erza allowed a scowl to form on her face. She re-quipped into her trenchcoat (**from chapter 14**), tore off the IV, and faced the corridor behind her, a feral scowl on her face. In the corner of her eye, she saw Gajeel give her what seemed to be an apologetic look.

'_I'll deal with you later Gajeel._" Erza thought as she ran into the corridor, but not without a few friends coming along. Team Natsu followed their leader to protect their nakama. Erza tackled the first Raven Tail mage she saw, utterly surprising the assaulters. They didn't have time to recuperate because Gray froze half of the mages in the corridor, the other half were burnt by the Terranos siblings. "How many of you are there?"

"Wha?" The mage underneath asked in his dazed state. His answer to his question was a slap to the face.

"I will not ask again, how many of you are in the stadium?" Erza vehemently asked the man once more, her patience running thin. She was oblivious of the worried look on Gray's face and the blazing fires of anger in the Terranos siblings' eyes.

"You two, let's go, she'll catch up later."The both of them nodded their heads and ran off to hunt for more enemies.

"Why would I tell you anything?" The mage came back to his senses and glared at the woman above him. His answer was a fist that caused him to lose a tooth.

"I won't hold back next time." Erza darkly said.

"Okay, okay, okay! Just don't hit me any harder!" The man frantically waved his arms in front of his face. "There's at least 65 of us here, but a few other dark mages tagged along since they would get an opportunity to end Fairy Tail!"

"Thanks." Erza muttered before knocking the guy out.

* * *

"You gotta try harder than that." Laxus taunted his opponents. For the past five minutes, they have been trying to land a hit on him. Unfortunately for them, due to being trained by a dragon, his reflexes and reaction time has increased significantly, causing every attempt to miss. Funnily enough there was a smirk on his face that ticked off his opponents, for they knew that he was only toying with them, like a dragon toying with its meal.

"Be quiet, you won't be talking smack if you saw me massacre your precious nakama." Laxus' teasing smirk disappeared at Kurohebi's comment. Kurohebi smirked when Laxus stopped moving around. '_I've got you!_' He transformed into sand and swiftly moved to Laxus' blind spot.

"Die!" Kurohebi exclaimed, his right arm transformed into a blade of condensed sand. Faster than a flash of lightning, (**hehehe**) Laxus caught his blade-arm and had a hand wrapped around the dark mage's neck.

"So you're going to massacre them all huh?" Laxus whispered, his eyes closed with a frown on his face. "If you were to do that, you would have to face the wrath of our strongest mages: Natsu, Gildarts and Master Makarov. However, since they're all busy at the moment, I'll have to take on that responsibility." Immense pressure radiated from Kurohebi's hand as he helplessly gazed upon the murderous eyes of a dragon.

"I-I-I take it back!" He frantically wailed, but Laxus simply increased the pressure so that the man was on his knees. "Please, spare me the pain."

"For what you said, you don't deserve to be spared." He concentrated his lightning magic into the man's arm. A scream of horror erupted from the stadium as the electricity overloaded the man's nervous system and burnt his arm to a crisp from the inside. When Laxus finally let go, Kurohebi flopped onto the ground face first, his eyes white and his arm smoking.

"I'm impressed Laxus, I never knew you had the guts to kill." His father commented, not fazed by the death of a loyal member of his guild.

"I have the guts to kill, but I have a heart that prevents me from doing so." Laxus glared at Ivan. The remaining mages around him had little warning when a pulse of electricity erupted from Laxus. Raven Tail's guildmaster was able to react in time and shielded himself with his puppets. Flare, Nullpudding, and Obra were electrocuted, but not killed. Though, the silent mage exploded in fluffy material akin to the stuffing of teddy bears.

"You were always soft." Ivan smirked as the puppet dome crumbled. His eyes widened when a torrent of blue and yellow electricity was headed towards him. He jumped to the side to avoid it, but was not able to defend himself from a powerful uppercut that nearly shattered his jaw. In a flash of light, Laxus was above him, foot poised to deliver an axe kick. Ivan managed to cross his arms in time to mitigate the force, but he wasn't able to mitigate the force of the impact against the hard arena floor. As he laid there, the lightning dragon slayer bolted to his side and delivered an open palm strike on his father's chest plate. Forks of lightning jumped from the point of contact and Ivan screamed before fading into the cold embrace of slumber.

"You were always arrogant." Laxus retorted before turning into a lightning bolt and jumping to another epicentre of combat.

* * *

"Get the civilians to the safe zones!" Lahar commanded the Alpha squad in front of him.

"Yes sir!" They responded before running away to carry out orders.

"Assist the other mages." The Rune Knight commander pointed to the Bravo squad.

"Yes sir!"

"Bind the downed criminals." He commanded the newly formed Charlie squad consisted of fresh recruits.

"No can do sir." One of the knights responded.

"Why?" He asked, suspicious of the man's behavior. Lahar put his magical staff in a defensive pose.

"For we are out of anti-magic cuffs sir." Lahar felt a little more at ease.

"How come?" He asked, before a shock came from behind him and he fell to the ground unconscious. The culprit was another man dressed in Rune Knight attire with a dark grin on his face.

"Because you don't need to bind corpses."

* * *

**Yo, we're back. Sorry for the late update. Life got in the way as well as a peculiar item referred to as Rainbow Six: Siege. (Don't bash about me liking the game, my opinion). So rate, review, and no flames pls.**

**Also, big thanks for my beta-reader: dayvon135 (if that's what he goes by nowadays).**


	18. Goodbye

Hello Guys, AmICrazy here.. Unfortunately, this is not a new chapter. This is my 'resignation chapter', meaning that this fic is now dead. It's due to lack of motivation as well as loss of faith in Fairy Tail as it seems to repetitive to me. As such, if anyone wants to 'adopt' this fic, feel free to do so, just inform me beforehand. I still have a few points regarding plot, so I'll give it to the one who will be willing to take over and possibly remake this fic. Thanks guys for the support, but I have to let this go to someone more capable.

On another note, my other fic will still be worked on by myself and another fic, regarding a Warhammer 40 000 crossover will be in the works.


	19. Successor

Hello guys! It's me again. I am pleased to inform you that I have chosen my successor. Anime333 will be the one who shall carry on the fanfic. So check him out as soon as he starts publishing chapters.


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